Systems and methods for providing recommendations based on short-media viewing profile and long-media viewing profile

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided herein for providing recommendations to a user. A short-media viewing profile may be maintained for the user. The short-media viewing profile may be based on user&#39;s behavior while watching short-length media content. A long-media viewing profile may be maintained for the user. The long-media viewing profile may be based on user&#39;s behavior while watching long-length media content. In response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing short-length media content, a recommendation is provided to the user based on the short-media viewing profile. In response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing long-length media content, a recommendation is provided to the user based on the long-media viewing profile.

BACKGROUND

A typical television system may provide recommendations oradvertisements to a user based on a maintained user profile. Typically,only a single user profile is maintained for each user. At best,multiple profiles may be maintained based on the user's location.However, such profiles fail to account for current watching behavior ofthe user. In particular, a user who is currently watching long-lengthmedia content (e.g., full-feature movies) is usually, at that time,receptive to very different types of recommendations or advertisementsthan a user who is engaged in watching short-length media content (e.g.,video clips, user-created short video such as YouTube videos or newsvideos). Consequently, current systems often provide inefficientrecommendations or advertisements that fail to match current preferencesof the user.

SUMMARY

To this end and others, in some embodiments, a media guidanceapplication may separately track a user's behavior during a time periodwhen the user consumes short-length media and a time period when theuser consumes long-length media. Specifically, two different userprofiles (short-media viewing profile and long-media viewing profile)are maintained, each profile tracking a user's behavior during therespective time periods. Later, when the user consumes media content,the length of that content is compared to a threshold. If the mediacontent is sufficiently long, the long-media viewing profile isactivated. Otherwise, the short-media viewing profile is activated.Consequently, recommendations or advertisements may be provided to theuser based on which profile is currently active. Because users oftenhave different preferences when watching media content of differentlengths, such utilization of two profiles improves the quality andrelevance of the recommendations and advertisements. In particular, theoperation of the media guidance application is improved, becauseprovided recommendations and advertisements are better suited to thecurrent watching activity of the user.

The media guidance application may provide recommendations to a user inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments,the media guidance application may maintain a short-media viewingprofile for the user. For example, the media guidance application maystore user's behavior during time periods when the user is watchingshort-length media content (e.g., YouTube video, film clips, newsstories, etc.) The stored user behavior may include requesting othercontent (e.g., media content, or web pages), interacting withadvertisements, making phone calls, sending text messages, any otherrequests, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may maintain along-media viewing profile for the user. For example, the media guidanceapplication may store the user's behavior during time periods when theuser is watching long-length media content (e.g., full-feature movies,long TV series episodes, etc.) The stored user behavior may includerequesting other content (e.g., media content, or web pages),interacting with advertisements, making phone calls, sending textmessages, any other requests, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may, in response todetermining that the user is currently engaged in viewing short media,provide a recommendation to the user based on the short-media viewingprofile. For example, if the user is engaged in watching short-lengthmedia content (e.g., YouTube videos, film clips, news stores, etc.), themedia guidance application may identify a recommendation that matchesinformation stored in the short-media viewing profile. In someembodiments, if the short-media viewing profile includes data that theuser has, in the past, positively reacted to a pizza advertisements whenwatching short media, the media guidance application may present a pizzaoffer to the user. In some embodiments, the media guidance applicationmay provide a recommendation to view second short-length media content.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may, in response todetermining that the user is currently engaged in viewing long media,provide a recommendation to the user based on the long-media viewingprofile. For example, if the user is engaged in watching long-lengthmedia content (e.g., full feature movie, or a full TV series episode),the media guidance application may identify a recommendation thatmatches information stored in the long-media viewing profile. Forexample, if the long-media viewing profile includes data that the userhas, in the past, positively reacted to a car advertisement whenwatching long media, the media guidance application may present a carlease offer to the user. In some embodiments, the media guidanceapplication may provide a recommendation to view second long-lengthmedia content.

The media guidance application may provide recommendations to a user inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments,the media guidance application may track behavior of the user while thatuser is engaged in watching short-length media content. For example, themedia guidance application may track the user's behavior during the timewhen the user is watching short-length media content (e.g., YouTubevideos, film clips, news stories). For example, tracked user behaviormay include one or more of: requests for content or data made by theuser, the user's interaction with any advertisements, any phone callsmade by the user, and any websites visited by the user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may generate ashort-media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked whenthe user was engaged in watching short-length media content. In someembodiments, the short-media viewing profile may comprise a plurality ofrecommendation metadata. For example, the media guidance application maygenerate or update a short-media viewing profile to store recommendationmetadata related to actions performed by the user. In some embodiments,if the user requested any kind of content during watching short-lengthmedia content, metadata associated with that content may be stored bythe media guidance application as recommendation metadata. For example,if a user has requested a video, the media guidance application maystore at least one of the title, the genre, and an actor's name asrecommendation metadata. In another example, if the user clicked on aprovided advertisement, the media guidance application may storemetadata associated with that advertisement as recommendation metadata.For example, at least one of the company name, the product name, and thetitle of the advertisement may be stored by the media guidanceapplication as recommendation metadata. In yet another example, if theuser has visited a website, the media guidance application may store atleast one of the website URL and keywords associated with that websiteas recommendation metadata.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may track behaviorof the user while the user is engaged in watching long-length mediacontent. For example, the media guidance application may track theuser's behavior during the time when that user is watching long-lengthmedia content (e.g., full-feature movie, or full TV show episode). Forexample, tracked user behavior may include one or more of: requests forcontent or data made by the user, the user's interaction with anyadvertisements, any phone calls made by the user, and any websitesvisited by the user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may generate along-media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when theuser was engaged in watching long-length media content. In someembodiments, the long-media viewing profile may comprise a plurality ofrecommendation metadata. For example, the media guidance application maygenerate or update a long-media viewing profile to store recommendationmetadata related to actions performed by the user. In some embodiments,if the user requested any kind of content during watching long-lengthmedia content, metadata associated with that content may be stored bythe media guidance application as recommendation metadata. For example,if a user has requested a video, the media guidance application maystore at least one of the title, the genre, and an actor's name asrecommendation metadata. In another example, if the user clicked on aprovided advertisement, the media guidance application may storemetadata associated with that advertisement as recommendation metadata.For example, at least one of the company name, the product name, and thetitle of the advertisement may be stored by the media guidanceapplication as recommendation metadata. In yet another example, if theuser has visited a website, the media guidance application may store atleast one of the website URL and keywords associated with that websiteas recommendation metadata.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may provide mediacontent to the user. In some embodiments, the media content may beprovided to the user's device. For example, the media guidanceapplication may provide a movie or TV show for display on the user's TVor computer screen. In another example, the media guidance applicationmay provide media content to any kind of media content reproductiondevice.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may then compare thelength of the media content to a length threshold. For example, thelength threshold may be set at 15 minutes. That is, any media contentshorter than 15 minutes may be considered short-length media content,while any media content that is equal to or longer than 15 minutes maybe considered long-length media content. In some embodiments, any othertime value may be used as a length threshold. In some embodiments, thelength threshold may be dynamically adjusted by the media guidanceapplication.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may then, inresponse to determining that the length of the media content correspondsto (e.g., exceeds) the length threshold, activate the long-media viewingprofile. In some embodiments, the activated profile may be used for anyaction that needs data from the user profile. In some embodiments, onlythe currently activated profile is updated based on further behavior ofthe user. In some embodiments, the activated profile may be used toprovide recommendations to the user. In some embodiments, the mediaguidance application may select a recommendation item, wherein themetadata of the recommendation item matches at least one recommendationmetadata of the long-media viewing profile (i.e., the currentlyactivated profile).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may access adatabase of available recommendation items. Each recommendation item maybe associated with the recommended content and include metadataassociated with the recommended content. In some embodiments,recommendation item may be associated with an advertisement and includemetadata associated with that advertisement. For example, if arecommendation item is associated with a Ford car commercial, therecommendation item may include metadata such as title of theadvertisement (e.g., “Ford Car Commercial no. 78”), general advertisingspace (e.g., “Car Commercials”), keywords (e.g., “car,” “automobile,”“Ford”), or any other metadata. In some embodiments, a recommendationitem may be associated with media content and include metadataassociated with that media content. For example, if a recommendationitem is associated with the movie “Good Will Hunting,” therecommendation item may include metadata such as: Title (e.g., “GoodWill Hunting”), genre (e.g., “Drama,” or “Comedy”), actors (e.g., “MattDamon”), length (e.g., 126 minutes).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may compare themetadata contained in the recommendation item to recommendation metadatacontained in the long-media viewing profile (i.e., the currentlyactivated profile). If the comparison indicates a sufficient matchbetween the metadata, the media guidance application may select thatrecommendation item for presentation to the user. In some embodiments,the media guidance application may then provide the recommendation itemto the user device. For example, the recommendation item may be providedto the same device that is used to provide the media content. In someembodiments, the recommendation item may be provided to a differentdevice belonging to the user (e.g. the user's phone or computer).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may, in response todetermining that the length of the media content does not correspond to(e.g., exceeds) the length threshold, activate the short-media viewingprofile. In some embodiments, the activated profile may be used toprovide recommendations to the user. In some embodiments, the mediaguidance application may select a recommendation item, wherein themetadata of the recommendation item matches at least one recommendationmetadata of the short-media viewing profile (i.e., the currentlyactivated profile).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may access adatabase of available recommendation items. Each recommendation item maybe associated with recommended content and include metadata associatedwith the recommended content. In some embodiments, the media guidanceapplication may compare the metadata contained in the recommendationitem to recommendation metadata contained in the short-media viewingprofile (i.e., the currently activated profile). For example, if arecommendation item is associated with a Domino's Pizza commercial, therecommendation item may include metadata such as title of theadvertisement (e.g., “Domino's Pizza commercial no. 78”), generaladvertising space (e.g., “Pizza Commercials”), keywords (e.g., “pizza,”“takeout,” “ Domino's”), or any other metadata. In some embodiments, therecommendation item may be associated with media content and includemetadata associated with that media content. For example, if arecommendation item is associated with the music video “Thriller,” therecommendation item may include metadata such as: Title (e.g.,“Thriller”), genre (e.g., “Music Videos”), performer (e.g., “MichaelJackson”), length (e.g., 14 minutes).

If the comparison indicates a sufficient match between the metadata, themedia guidance application may select that recommendation item forpresentation to the user. In some embodiments, the media guidanceapplication may then provide the recommendation item to the user device.For example, the recommendation item may be provided to the same devicethat is used to provide the media content. In some embodiments, therecommendation item may be provided to a different device belonging tothe user (e.g. the user's phone or computer).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may generate ashort-media viewing profile using the following sequence of steps. Insome embodiments, the media guidance application may determine that theuser is watching short-length media content. For example, the mediaguidance application may determine that the length of the currentlyprovided media content does not exceed the length threshold (e.g., 15minutes). The media guidance application may then monitor user requestsfor content during or immediately after (e.g., within 1 minute) the timewhen the short-length media content is played. For example, the mediaguidance application may monitor the user's device and any other deviceassociated with the user for content requests. In some embodiments,content requests may be requests for other media content, requests forweb pages, requests for data from mobile applications, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the media guidance applicationmay then store the metadata associated with the user requests. Forexample, if the user requested a video during or immediately after thetime when the short-length media content is played, the media guidanceapplication may store any metadata associated with that video in theshort-media viewing profile.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may generate ashort-media viewing profile using the following sequence of steps. Insome embodiments, the media guidance application may determine that theuser is watching short-length media content. For example, the mediaguidance application may determine that the length of the currentlyprovided media content does not exceed the length threshold (e.g., 15minutes). The media guidance application may then provide anadvertisement to the user device during or immediately after the timewhen the short-length media content is played. For example, the mediaguidance application may provide an advertisement on the same deviceused to provide the media content or any other device associated withthe user. For example, the media guidance application may provide anadvertisement to the user's TV, telephone, or any other user device.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may then monitor theuser's response to the advertisement. For example, the media guidanceapplication may monitor whether the user has interacted with theadvertisement in any way. In some embodiments, any detected userinteraction (e.g., a click) with the advertisement may be interpreted asfavorable response. In some embodiments, the media guidance applicationmay, in response to determining that the user's response was favorable,store metadata associated with the advertisement. For example, if a userclicked on a pizza offer advertisement, the media guidance applicationmay store the keyword “pizza” in the short-media viewing profile.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may generate along-media viewing profile using the following sequence of steps. Insome embodiments, the media guidance application may determine that theuser is watching long-length media content. For example, the mediaguidance application may determine that the length of the currentlyprovided media content exceeds the length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes).The media guidance application may then monitor user requests forcontent during or immediately after (e.g., within 1 minute) the timewhen the long-length media content is provided. For example, the mediaguidance application may monitor the user's device and any other deviceassociated with the user for content requests. In some embodiments,content requests may be requests for other media content, requests forweb pages, requests for data from mobile applications, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the media guidance applicationmay then store the metadata associated with the user requests. Forexample, if the user requested a video during or immediately after thetime when the long-length media content is played, the media guidanceapplication may store any metadata (e.g., title or genre) associatedwith that video in the long-media viewing profile. For example, if theuser requested a “New York Giants” video clip, the media guidanceapplication may store keywords “Giants” and “sports” in the long-mediaviewing profile.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may generate along-media viewing profile using the following sequence of steps. Insome embodiments, the media guidance application may determine that theuser is watching long-length media content. For example, the mediaguidance application may determine that the length of the currentlyprovided media content exceeds the length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes).The media guidance application may then provide an advertisement to theuser device during or immediately after the time when the long-lengthmedia content is played. For example, the media guidance application mayprovide an advertisement on the same device used to provide the mediacontent or any other device associated with the user. For example, themedia guidance application may provide an advertisement to the user'sTV, telephone, or any other user device.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may then monitor theuser's response to the advertisement. For example, the media guidanceapplication may monitor whether the user has interacted with theadvertisement in any way. In some embodiments, any detected userinteraction (e.g., a click) with the advertisement may be interpreted asfavorable response. In some embodiments, the media guidance applicationmay in response to determining that the user's response was favorable,store metadata associated with the advertisement.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may activate one ofthe user profiles even when the user is not currently consuming anymedia content. In some embodiments, the media guidance application mayanalyze at least one of: time of day, user's location, and search inputreceived from the user to determine whether the user is in the mood towatch long-length media content or short-length media content. Forexample, the media guidance application may have data indicating thatthe user is in the mood to watch long-length media content on weekendevenings. In this example, if the current time is after 6:00 PM onSaturday or Sunday, the media guidance application may determine thatthe user is in the mood to watch long-length media content. In anotherexample, the media guidance application may have data indicating thatthe user is in the mood to watch short-length media content when theuser is at work (e.g., on a lunch break). In this example, if thecurrent user's location is the user's place of employment, the mediaguidance application may determine that the user is in the mood to watchshort-length media content.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may, in response todetermining that the user is in the mood to watch long-length mediacontent, activate the long-media viewing profile. For example, if themedia guidance application determines that the user is in the mood towatch long-length media content based on the time-of-day information,the media guidance application may activate the long-media viewingprofile even before the user requests any kind of media content forviewing.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may, in response todetermining that the user is in the mood to watch short-length mediacontent, activate the short-media viewing profile. For example, if themedia guidance application determines that the user is in the mood towatch short-length media content based on the user's location, the mediaguidance application may activate the short-media viewing profile evenbefore the user requests any kind of media content for viewing.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may provide therecommendation item to the user device using the following series ofsteps. In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determinewhether the short-media viewing profile is active. If so, the mediaguidance application may select a short-length recommendation item thatis associated with a second short-length media content. That is, whenselecting a recommendation item, the media guidance application mayconsider only recommendation items that would recommend media contentthat has a short length. In some embodiments, the media guidanceapplication may then provide the short-length recommendation item to theuser device. That is, if the short-media viewing profile is active, insome embodiments, the media guidance application may providerecommendations only for other content that is short.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may provide therecommendation item to the user device using the following series ofsteps. In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determinewhether the long-media viewing profile is active. If so, the mediaguidance application may select a long-length recommendation item thatis associated with second long-length media content. That is, whenselecting a recommendation item, the media guidance application mayconsider only recommendation items that would recommend media contentthat has long length. In some embodiments, the media guidanceapplication may then provide the long-length recommendation item to theuser device. That is, if the long-media viewing profile is active, insome embodiments, the media guidance application may providerecommendations only for other content that is long.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative media guidance interface that may providerecommendations to a user, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 2 shows another illustrative media guidance interface that maydynamically include or exclude a video, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows yet another illustrative media guidance interface that maydynamically include or exclude a video, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an illustrative user equipment device inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an illustrative media system in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative flow diagram for a process of providingrecommendations to a user in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts another illustrative flow diagram for a process ofproviding recommendations to a user in accordance with some embodimentsof the disclosure;

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative flow diagram for a process of generatinga short-media viewing profile in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 9 depicts another illustrative flow diagram for a process forgenerating a short-media viewing profile in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative flow diagram for a process of generatinga long-media viewing profile in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 11 depicts another illustrative flow diagram for a process forgenerating a long-media viewing profile in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 depicts an illustrative flow diagram for a process of activatingeither the long-media viewing profile or the short-media viewing profilein accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 depicts an illustrative flow diagram for a process of providingthe recommendation item to the user device in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 depicts another illustrative flow diagram for a process ofproviding recommendations to a user device in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure; and

FIG. 15 depicts yet another illustrative flow diagram for a process ofproviding recommendations to a user device in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for an improved method ofproviding recommendations to a user. In particular, the media guidanceapplication may track the user's behavior while the user watches long-or short-length media content. The media guidance application mayseparately maintain two different user profiles, one for the user'spreferences when watching long media, and one for the user's preferenceswhen watching short media. Once the profiles are established, the mediaguidance application may provide improved recommendations (e.g., contentsuggestions or advertisements) to the user using the two profiles. Forexample, the media guidance application may use the short-media viewingprofile to make recommendations while the user is watching short-lengthvideo, and use the long-media viewing profile to make recommendationswhile the user is watching long-length video. Consequently, suchtechniques improve the operation of the media guidance application byallowing it to make recommendations that are relevant to the user'scurrent behavior.

As referred to herein, the phrase “long-length media content” refers toany type of media content (e.g., video, audio, or multimedia content)that exceeds a certain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). For example,a full-length movie running for 128 minutes or a 60-minute TV showepisode may both be considered “long-length media content.”

As referred to herein, the phrase “short-length media content” refers toany type of media content (e.g., video, audio, or multimedia content)that does not exceed a certain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). Forexample, a 5-minute news clip or 8-minute music video may both beconsidered “short-length media content.”

As referred to herein, the phrase “short-media viewing profile” refersto any profile, data structure, or database that stores data indicativeof the user's behavior or of the user's preferences during time periodswhen the user consumes short-length media content. In some embodiments,the short-media viewing profile may store a plurality of recommendationmetadata that correspond to content that the user may prefer during suchtime periods.

As referred to herein, the phrase “long-media viewing profile” refers toany profile, data structure, or database that stores data indicative ofthe user's behavior or of the user's preferences during time periodswhen the user consumes long-length media content. In some embodiments,the long-media viewing profile may store a plurality of recommendationmetadata that correspond to content that the user may prefer during suchtime periods.

As referred to herein, the phrase “recommendation item” refers to anymedia asset, text, multimedia, or data structure that is intended toprovide a recommendation message to the user. In some embodiments, arecommendation item may be associated with a media content to berecommended, or with an advertisement to be provided. In someembodiments, a recommendation item may include metadata associated withthe content to be recommended or with the advertisement to be provided.

The amount of content available to users in any given content deliverysystem can be substantial. Consequently, many users desire a form ofmedia guidance through an interface that allows users to efficientlynavigate content selections and easily identify content that they maydesire. An application that provides such guidance is referred to hereinas an interactive media guidance application or, sometimes, a mediaguidance application or a guidance application.

Interactive media guidance applications may take various forms dependingon the content for which they provide guidance. One typical type ofmedia guidance application is an interactive television program guide.Interactive television program guides (sometimes referred to aselectronic program guides) are well-known guidance applications that,among other things, allow users to navigate among and locate many typesof content or media assets. Interactive media guidance applications maygenerate graphical user interface screens that enable a user to navigateamong, locate and select content. As referred to herein, the terms“media asset” and “content” should be understood to mean anelectronically consumable user asset, such as television programming, aswell as pay-per-view programs, on-demand programs (as in video-on-demand(VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming content, downloadablecontent, Webcasts, etc.), video clips, audio, content information,pictures, rotating images, documents, playlists, websites, articles,books, electronic books, blogs, chat sessions, social media,applications, games, and/or any other media or multimedia and/orcombination of the same. Guidance applications also allow users tonavigate among and locate content. As referred to herein, the term“multimedia” should be understood to mean content that utilizes at leasttwo different content forms described above, for example, text, audio,images, video, or interactivity content forms. Content may be recorded,played, displayed or accessed by user equipment devices, but can also bepart of a live performance.

The media guidance application and/or any instructions for performingany of the embodiments discussed herein may be encoded on computerreadable media. Computer readable media includes any media capable ofstoring data. The computer readable media may be transitory, including,but not limited to, propagating electrical or electromagnetic signals,or may be non-transitory including, but not limited to, volatile andnon-volatile computer memory or storage devices such as a hard disk,floppy disk, USB drive, DVD, CD, media cards, register memory, processorcaches, Random Access Memory (“RAM”), etc.

With the advent of the Internet, mobile computing, and high-speedwireless networks, users are accessing media on user equipment deviceson which they traditionally did not. As referred to herein, the phrase“user equipment device,” “user equipment,” “user device,” “electronicdevice,” “electronic equipment,” “media equipment device,” or “mediadevice” should be understood to mean any device for accessing thecontent described above, such as a television, a Smart TV, a set-topbox, an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellitetelevision, a digital storage device, a digital media receiver (DMR), adigital media adapter (DMA), a streaming media device, a DVD player, aDVD recorder, a connected DVD, a local media server, a BLU-RAY player, aBLU-RAY recorder, a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a WebTV box, a personal computer television (PC/TV), a PCmedia server, a PC media center, a hand-held computer, a stationarytelephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, aportable video player, a portable music player, a portable gamingmachine, a smart phone, or any other television equipment, computingequipment, or wireless device, and/or combination of the same. In someembodiments, the user equipment device may have a front facing screenand a rear facing screen, multiple front screens, or multiple angledscreens. In some embodiments, the user equipment device may have a frontfacing camera and/or a rear facing camera. On these user equipmentdevices, users may be able to navigate among and locate the same contentavailable through a television. Consequently, media guidance may beavailable on these devices, as well. The guidance provided may be forcontent available only through a television, for content available onlythrough one or more of other types of user equipment devices, or forcontent available both through a television and one or more of the othertypes of user equipment devices. The media guidance applications may beprovided as on-line applications (i.e., provided on a web-site), or asstand-alone applications or clients on user equipment devices.

Various devices and platforms that may implement media guidanceapplications are described in more detail below.

One of the functions of the media guidance application is to providemedia guidance data to users. As referred to herein, the phrase “mediaguidance data” or “guidance data” should be understood to mean any datarelated to content or data used in operating the guidance application.For example, the guidance data may include program information, guidanceapplication settings, user preferences, user profile information, medialistings, media-related information (e.g., broadcast times, broadcastchannels, titles, descriptions, ratings information (e.g., parentalcontrol ratings, critic's ratings, etc.), genre or category information,actor information, logo data for broadcasters' or providers' logos,etc.), media format (e.g., standard definition, high definition, 3D,etc.), on-demand information, blogs, websites, and any other type ofguidance data that is helpful for a user to navigate among and locatedesired content selections.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative media guidance interface on a displayscreen that may provide recommendations to a user in accordance withvarious embodiments of the disclosure. Display 100 shows a mediaguidance interface for video presentation, user interface presentation,and optional timeline presentation. In some embodiments, display 100 maydisplay media content provided by the media guidance application. Forexample, display 100 may display image 102. Image 102 may be a part ofmedia content provided by the media guidance application.

In some embodiments, display 100 may optionally include timeline 110that indicates what media content is provided to the user. In someembodiments, timeline 110 may include time period 112, during whichlong-length media content 104 (e.g., full lengths movie “Titanic”) isprovided by the media guidance application. In some embodiments,timeline 110 may include time period 114, during which short-lengthmedia content 106 (e.g., music video “Thriller”) and shorth-length mediacontent 108 (e.g., music video “Beat It”) are provided by the mediaguidance application.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may maintain twodifferent user profiles: a short-media viewing profile and a long-mediaviewing profile. In some embodiments, the short-media viewing profilemay be generated or updated during time period 112 and during other timeperiods when other long-length media content is provided by the mediaguidance application. In some embodiments, the short-media viewingprofile may be generated or updated during time period 114 and duringother time periods when other short-length media content is provided bythe media guidance application.

In some embodiments, the profiles are generated or updated based on themonitored user behavior. For example, if the user requests certaincontent or data during (or shortly after) time period 112, the mediaguidance application may store metadata associated with the requestedcontent or requested data in the long-media viewing profile. Similarly,if the user requests certain content or data during (or shortly after)time period 114, the media guidance application may store metadataassociated with the requested content or requested data in theshort-media viewing profile.

In some embodiments, if the user interacts with (e.g., clicks on) anadvertisement during (or shortly after) time period 112, the mediaguidance application may store metadata associated with thatadvertisement in the long-media viewing profile. In some embodiments, ifthe user interacts with (e.g., clicks on) an advertisement during (orshortly after) time period 114, the media guidance application may storemetadata associated with that advertisement in the short-media viewingprofile.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may activate one ofthe profiles based on what media content is currently being provided.For example, if long-length media content is provided (e.g. during timeperiod 112), the media guidance application may activate the long-mediaviewing profile. In another example, if short-length media content isprovided (e.g. during time period 114), the media guidance applicationmay activate the short-media viewing profile.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may provide arecommendation to the user based on which profile is activated. Forexample, the media guidance application may provide for displayrecommendations based on the long-media viewing profile during theduring time period 112, and provide for display recommendations based onthe short-media viewing profile during the during time period 114.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may providerecommendation 116 for display. In some embodiments, the media guidanceapplication may base the content of recommendation 116 based on whichprofile is active. In some embodiments, the media guidance applicationmay provide recommendation 116 on display 100. In some embodiments, themedia guidance application may generate a recommendation for display onany other device, such as user's mobile device, user's computer, oruser's audio equipment.

In some embodiments, recommendation 116 may comprise text recommendinganother media content for consumption. For example, if the long-mediaviewing profile is active, recommendation 116 may include text “Wouldlike to watch ‘Titanic’” or “would you like to add ‘Titanic’ to yourplay list.” In this example, the media guidance application may haveselected to recommend the “Titanic” movie (length: 195 minutes) becauseit is a full-feature movie, and the user is currently watchinglong-length media.

In some embodiments, if the short-media viewing profile is active,recommendation 116 may include text “Would like to watch ‘Thriller’music” video, or “would you like to add ‘Thriller’ music video to yourplay list.” In this example, the media guidance application may haveselected to recommend the ‘Thriller’ music video (length: 14 minutes)because it is a short music video, and the user is currently watchingshort-length media.

In some embodiments, recommendation 116 may be a filtered list ofseveral content items, where items that are more highly recommended arelisted near the top. For example, during time period 112, recommendationfor long-length media content may be shown near the top of the list,while during time period 114, recommendation for short-length mediacontent may be shown near the top of the list.

In some embodiments, recommendation 116 may be and advertisement for aproduct or service. In some embodiments, the media guidance applicationmay select the advertisement based on which profile is active. In someembodiments, the media guidance application may select the advertisementthat has the highest chance to elicit a positive interaction. Forexample, if the user has positively reacted to a pizza advertisementwhen short-media profile was active (e.g., during time period 114) butnot when long-media profile was active (e.g., during time period 112),the media guidance application may only provide pizza advertainmentswhen short-media profile is active. For example, recommendation 116 mayinclude text “Call 180-555-PIZZA, and mentioned code “ABC” to get pizzaat 30% off.”

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may providerecommendation 116 for display during or shortly after the presentationof the current media content is concluded. For example, after thepresentation of the current media content ends, or right before the end,media guidance application may display recommendation 116 on display100. In some embodiments, recommendations 116 includes a list ofsuggested media content. The list may be generated and sorted accordingto what viewing profile if active. For example, if short-media profileis active, the list may include only short-length media content, or maybe sorted to display short-length media before long-length mediacontent. In some embodiments, if long-media profile is active, the listmay include only long-length media content, or may be sorted to displaylong-length media before long-length media content. In some embodiments,the media guidance application may provide for display the next mediacontent based on a user selection from the list.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may automaticallyplay the next media content from the list even without user input. Insome embodiments, the media guidance application may keep the listhidden from the user, and not display it to the user. Instead, nextmedia content may be provided to the user according to the list withoutthe need for user input.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may also provide fordisplay recommendation user interface (UI) 118. In some embodiments,recommendation UI 118 may be a part of recommendation 116. For example,if recommendation 116 includes a recommendation of media content,recommendation UI 118 may include interface options (e.g., buttons) thatallow the user to either purchase the media content, begin watching thatmedia content immediately, or to set a reminder to watch that mediacontent in the future.

In some embodiments, if recommendation 116 includes an advertisement,recommendation UI 118 may include interface options (e.g., buttons) thatallow the user to interact with that advertisement. For example, if theadvertisement includes a URL, recommendation UI 118 may include ahyperlink that allows the user to request a website associated with thatURL. In another example, if the advertisement includes a phone number,recommendation UI 118 may include a link to an application that canauto-dial that phone number.

FIGS. 2-3 show illustrative display screens that may be used to providemedia guidance data. The display screens shown in FIGS. 2-3 may beimplemented on any suitable user equipment device or platform. While thedisplays of FIGS. 2-3 are illustrated as full screen displays, they mayalso be fully or partially overlaid over content being displayed. A usermay indicate a desire to access content information by selecting aselectable option provided in a display screen (e.g., a menu option, alistings option, an icon, a hyperlink, etc.) or pressing a dedicatedbutton (e.g., a GUIDE button) on a remote control or other user inputinterface or device. In response to the user's indication, the mediaguidance application may provide a display screen with media guidancedata organized in one of several ways, such as by time and channel in agrid, by time, by channel, by source, by content type, by category(e.g., movies, sports, news, children, or other categories ofprogramming), or other predefined, user-defined, or other organizationcriteria.

FIG. 2 shows illustrative grid of a program listings display 200arranged by time and channel that also enables access to different typesof content in a single display. Display 200 may include grid 202 with:(1) a column of channel/content type identifiers 204, where eachchannel/content type identifier (which is a cell in the column)identifies a different channel or content type available; and (2) a rowof time identifiers 206, where each time identifier (which is a cell inthe row) identifies a time block of programming. Grid 202 also includescells of program listings, such as program listing 208, where eachlisting provides the title of the program provided on the listing'sassociated channel and time. With a user input device, a user can selectprogram listings by moving highlight region 210.

Information relating to the program listing selected by highlight region210 may be provided in program information region 212. Region 212 mayinclude, for example, the program title, the program description, thetime the program is provided (if applicable), the channel the program ison (if applicable), the program's rating, and other desired information.

In addition to providing access to linear programming (e.g., contentthat is scheduled to be transmitted to a plurality of user equipmentdevices at a predetermined time and is provided according to aschedule), the media guidance application also provides access tonon-linear programming (e.g., content accessible to a user equipmentdevice at any time and is not provided according to a schedule).Non-linear programming may include content from different contentsources including on-demand content (e.g., VOD), Internet content (e.g.,streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally stored content(e.g., content stored on any user equipment device described above orother storage device), or other time-independent content. On-demandcontent may include movies or any other content provided by a particularcontent provider (e.g., HBO On Demand providing “The Sopranos” and “CurbYour Enthusiasm”). HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by Time WarnerCompany L.P. et al. and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM aretrademarks owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. Internet content mayinclude web events, such as a chat session or Webcast, or contentavailable on-demand as streaming content or downloadable content throughan Internet web site or other Internet access (e.g. FTP).

Grid 202 may provide media guidance data for non-linear programmingincluding on-demand listing 214, recorded content listing 216, andInternet content listing 218. A display combining media guidance datafor content from different types of content sources is sometimesreferred to as a “mixed-media” display. Various permutations of thetypes of media guidance data that may be displayed that are differentthan display 200 may be based on user selection or guidance applicationdefinition (e.g., a display of only recorded and broadcast listings,only on-demand and broadcast listings, etc.). As illustrated, listings214, 216, and 218 are shown as spanning the entire time block displayedin grid 202 to indicate that selection of these listings may provideaccess to a display dedicated to on-demand listings, recorded listings,or Internet listings, respectively. In some embodiments, listings forthese content types may be included directly in grid 202.

Additional media guidance data may be displayed in response to the userselecting one of the navigational icons 220. (Pressing an arrow key on auser input device may affect the display in a similar manner asselecting navigational icons 220.)

Display 200 may also include video region 222, and options region 226.Video region 222 may allow the user to view and/or preview programs thatare currently available, will be available, or were available to theuser. The content of video region 222 may correspond to, or beindependent from, one of the listings displayed in grid 202. Griddisplays including a video region are sometimes referred to aspicture-in-guide (PIG) displays. PIG displays and their functionalitiesare described in greater detail in Satterfield et al. U.S. Pat. No.6,564,378, issued May 13, 2003 and Yuen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,239,794,issued May 29, 2001, which are hereby incorporated by reference hereinin their entireties. PIG displays may be included in other mediaguidance application display screens of the embodiments describedherein.

Options region 226 may allow the user to access different types ofcontent, media guidance application displays, and/or media guidanceapplication features. Options region 226 may be part of display 200 (andother display screens described herein), or may be invoked by a user byselecting an on-screen option or pressing a dedicated or assignablebutton on a user input device. The selectable options within optionsregion 226 may concern features related to program listings in grid 202or may include options available from a main menu display. Featuresrelated to program listings may include searching for other air times orways of receiving a program, recording a program, enabling seriesrecording of a program, setting program and/or channel as a favorite,purchasing a program, or other features. Options available from a mainmenu display may include search options, VOD options, parental controloptions, Internet options, cloud-based options, device synchronizationoptions, second screen device options, options to access various typesof media guidance data displays, options to subscribe to a premiumservice, options to edit a user's profile, options to access a browseoverlay, or other options.

The media guidance application may be personalized based on a user'spreferences. A personalized media guidance application allows a user tocustomize displays and features to create a personalized “experience”with the media guidance application. This personalized experience may becreated by allowing a user to input these customizations and/or by themedia guidance application monitoring user activity to determine varioususer preferences. Users may access their personalized guidanceapplication by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to theguidance application. Customization of the media guidance applicationmay be made in accordance with a user profile. The customizations mayinclude varying presentation schemes (e.g., color scheme of displays,font size of text, etc.), aspects of content listings displayed (e.g.,only HDTV or only 3D programming, user-specified broadcast channelsbased on favorite channel selections, re-ordering the display ofchannels, recommended content, etc.), desired recording features (e.g.,recording or series recordings for particular users, recording quality,etc.), parental control settings, customized presentation of Internetcontent (e.g., presentation of social media content, e-mail,electronically delivered articles, etc.) and other desiredcustomizations.

The media guidance application may allow a user to provide user profileinformation or may automatically compile user profile information. Themedia guidance application may, for example, monitor the content theuser accesses and/or other interactions the user may have with theguidance application. Additionally, the media guidance application mayobtain all or part of other user profiles that are related to aparticular user (e.g., from other web sites on the Internet the useraccesses, such as www.Tivo.com, from other media guidance applicationsthe user accesses, from other interactive applications the useraccesses, from another user equipment device of the user, etc.), and/orobtain information about the user from other sources that the mediaguidance application may access. As a result, a user can be providedwith a unified guidance application experience across the user'sdifferent user equipment devices. This type of user experience isdescribed in greater detail below in connection with FIG. 5. Additionalpersonalized media guidance application features are described ingreater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2005/0251827, filed Jul. 11, 2005, Boyer et al., U.S. Pat. No.7,165,098, issued Jan. 16, 2007, and Ellis et al., U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2002/0174430, filed Feb. 21, 2002, which arehereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

Another display arrangement for providing media guidance is shown inFIG. 3. Video mosaic display 300 includes selectable options 302 forcontent information organized based on content type, genre, and/or otherorganization criteria. In display 300, television listings option 304 isselected, thus providing listings 306, 308, 310, and 312 as broadcastprogram listings. In display 300 the listings may provide graphicalimages including cover art, still images from the content, video clippreviews, live video from the content, or other types of content thatindicate to a user the content being described by the media guidancedata in the listing. Each of the graphical listings may also beaccompanied by text to provide further information about the contentassociated with the listing. For example, listing 308 may include morethan one portion, including media portion 314 and text portion 316.Media portion 314 and/or text portion 316 may be selectable to viewcontent in full-screen or to view information related to the contentdisplayed in media portion 314 (e.g., to view listings for the channelthat the video is displayed on).

The listings in display 300 are of different sizes (i.e., listing 306 islarger than listings 308, 310, and 312), but if desired, all thelistings may be the same size. Listings may be of different sizes orgraphically accentuated to indicate degrees of interest to the user orto emphasize certain content, as desired by the content provider orbased on user preferences. Various systems and methods for graphicallyaccentuating content listings are discussed in, for example, Yates, U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0153885, filed Nov. 12, 2009,which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Users may access content and the media guidance application (and itsdisplay screens described above and below) from one or more of theiruser equipment devices. FIG. 4 shows a generalized embodiment ofillustrative user equipment device 400. More specific implementations ofuser equipment devices are discussed below in connection with FIG. 5.User equipment device 400 may receive content and data via input/output(hereinafter “I/O”) path 402. I/O path 402 may provide content (e.g.,broadcast programming, on-demand programming, Internet content, contentavailable over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN),and/or other content) and data to control circuitry 404, which includesprocessing circuitry 406 and storage 408. Control circuitry 404 may beused to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable datausing I/O path 402. I/O path 402 may connect control circuitry 404 (andspecifically processing circuitry 406) to one or more communicationspaths (described below). I/O functions may be provided by one or more ofthese communications paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 4 toavoid overcomplicating the drawing.

Control circuitry 404 may be based on any suitable processing circuitrysuch as processing circuitry 406. As referred to herein, processingcircuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or moremicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors,programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may includea multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or anysuitable number of cores) or supercomputer. In some embodiments,processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separateprocessors or processing units, for example, multiple of the same typeof processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multipledifferent processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Corei7 processor). In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 executesinstructions for a media guidance application stored in memory (i.e.,storage 408). Specifically, control circuitry 404 may be instructed bythe media guidance application to perform the functions discussed aboveand below. For example, the media guidance application may provideinstructions to control circuitry 404 to generate the media guidancedisplays. In some implementations, any action performed by controlcircuitry 404 may be based on instructions received from the mediaguidance application.

In client-server based embodiments, control circuitry 404 may includecommunications circuitry suitable for communicating with a guidanceapplication server or other networks or servers. The instructions forcarrying out the above mentioned functionality may be stored on theguidance application server. Communications circuitry may include acable modem, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) modem, adigital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, Ethernet card,or a wireless modem for communications with other equipment, or anyother suitable communications circuitry. Such communications may involvethe Internet or any other suitable communications networks or paths(which is described in more detail in connection with FIG. 5). Inaddition, communications circuitry may include circuitry that enablespeer-to-peer communication of user equipment devices, or communicationof user equipment devices in locations remote from each other (describedin more detail below).

Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as storage 408 thatis part of control circuitry 404. As referred to herein, the phrase“electronic storage device” or “storage device” should be understood tomean any device for storing electronic data, computer software, orfirmware, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, hard drives,optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compact disc (CD)recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY 3D disc recorders,digital video recorders (DVR, sometimes called a personal videorecorder, or PVR), solid state devices, quantum storage devices, gamingconsoles, gaming media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storagedevices, and/or any combination of the same. Storage 408 may be used tostore various types of content described herein as well as mediaguidance data described above. Nonvolatile memory may also be used(e.g., to launch a boot-up routine and other instructions). Cloud-basedstorage, described in relation to FIG. 5, may be used to supplementstorage 408 or instead of storage 408.

Control circuitry 404 may include video generating circuitry and tuningcircuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, high-definition tuners, orany other suitable tuning or video circuits or combinations of suchcircuits. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog,or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided.Control circuitry 404 may also include scaler circuitry for upconvertingand downconverting content into the preferred output format of the userequipment 400. Circuitry 404 may also include digital-to-analogconverter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry forconverting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may be used by the user equipment device to receive and todisplay, to play, or to record content. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may also be used to receive guidance data. The circuitrydescribed herein, including for example, the tuning, video generating,encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, scaler, and analog/digitalcircuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or moregeneral purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may beprovided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., watch and recordfunctions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multiple-tuner recording,etc.). If storage 408 is provided as a separate device from userequipment 400, the tuning and encoding circuitry (including multipletuners) may be associated with storage 408.

A user may send instructions to control circuitry 404 using user inputinterface 410. User input interface 410 may be any suitable userinterface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard,touch screen, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognitioninterface, or other user input interfaces. Display 412 may be providedas a stand-alone device or integrated with other elements of userequipment device 400. For example, display 412 may be a touchscreen ortouch-sensitive display. In such circumstances, user input interface 410may be integrated with or combined with display 412. Display 412 may beone or more of a monitor, a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD)for a mobile device, amorphous silicon display, low temperature polysilicon display, electronic ink display, electrophoretic display, activematrix display, electro-wetting display, electrofluidic display, cathoderay tube display, light-emitting diode display, electroluminescentdisplay, plasma display panel, high-performance addressing display,thin-film transistor display, organic light-emitting diode display,surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED), laser television,carbon nanotubes, quantum dot display, interferometric modulatordisplay, or any other suitable equipment for displaying visual images.In some embodiments, display 412 may be HDTV-capable. In someembodiments, display 412 may be a 3D display, and the interactive mediaguidance application and any suitable content may be displayed in 3D. Avideo card or graphics card may generate the output to the display 412.The video card may offer various functions such as accelerated renderingof 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or theability to connect multiple monitors. The video card may be anyprocessing circuitry described above in relation to control circuitry404. The video card may be integrated with the control circuitry 404.Speakers 414 may be provided as integrated with other elements of userequipment device 400 or may be stand-alone units. The audio component ofvideos and other content displayed on display 412 may be played throughspeakers 414. In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to areceiver (not shown), which processes and outputs the audio via speakers414.

The guidance application may be implemented using any suitablearchitecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone applicationwholly-implemented on user equipment device 400. In such an approach,instructions of the application are stored locally (e.g., in storage408), and data for use by the application is downloaded on a periodicbasis (e.g., from an out-of-band feed, from an Internet resource, orusing another suitable approach). Control circuitry 404 may retrieveinstructions of the application from storage 408 and process theinstructions to generate any of the displays discussed herein. Based onthe processed instructions, control circuitry 404 may determine whataction to perform when input is received from input interface 410. Forexample, movement of a cursor on a display up/down may be indicated bythe processed instructions when input interface 410 indicates that anup/down button was selected.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is a client-serverbased application. Data for use by a thick or thin client implemented onuser equipment device 400 is retrieved on-demand by issuing requests toa server remote to the user equipment device 400. In one example of aclient-server based guidance application, control circuitry 404 runs aweb browser that interprets web pages provided by a remote server. Forexample, the remote server may store the instructions for theapplication in a storage device. The remote server may process thestored instructions using circuitry (e.g., control circuitry 404) andgenerate the displays discussed above and below. The client device mayreceive the displays generated by the remote server and may display thecontent of the displays locally on equipment device 400. This way, theprocessing of the instructions is performed remotely by the server whilethe resulting displays are provided locally on equipment device 400.Equipment device 400 may receive inputs from the user via inputinterface 410 and transmit those inputs to the remote server forprocessing and generating the corresponding displays. For example,equipment device 400 may transmit a communication to the remote serverindicating that an up/down button was selected via input interface 410.The remote server may process instructions in accordance with that inputand generate a display of the application corresponding to the input(e.g., a display that moves a cursor up/down). The generated display isthen transmitted to equipment device 400 for presentation to the user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is downloaded andinterpreted or otherwise run by an interpreter or virtual machine (runby control circuitry 404). In some embodiments, the guidance applicationmay be encoded in the ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), received bycontrol circuitry 404 as part of a suitable feed, and interpreted by auser agent running on control circuitry 404. For example, the guidanceapplication may be an EBIF application. In some embodiments, theguidance application may be defined by a series of JAVA-based files thatare received and run by a local virtual machine or other suitablemiddleware executed by control circuitry 404. In some of suchembodiments (e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital mediaencoding schemes), the guidance application may be, for example, encodedand transmitted in an MPEG-2 object carousel with the MPEG audio andvideo packets of a program.

User equipment device 400 of FIG. 4 can be implemented in system 500 ofFIG. 5 as user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504,wireless user communications device 506, or any other type of userequipment suitable for accessing content, such as a non-portable gamingmachine. For simplicity, these devices may be referred to hereincollectively as user equipment or user equipment devices, and may besubstantially similar to user equipment devices described above. Userequipment devices, on which a media guidance application may beimplemented, may function as a standalone device or may be part of anetwork of devices. Various network configurations of devices may beimplemented and are discussed in more detail below.

A user equipment device utilizing at least some of the system featuresdescribed above in connection with FIG. 4 may not be classified solelyas user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, or awireless user communications device 506. For example, user televisionequipment 502 may, like some user computer equipment 504, beInternet-enabled allowing for access to Internet content, while usercomputer equipment 504 may, like some television equipment 502, includea tuner allowing for access to television programming. The mediaguidance application may have the same layout on various different typesof user equipment or may be tailored to the display capabilities of theuser equipment. For example, on user computer equipment 504, theguidance application may be provided as a web site accessed by a webbrowser. In another example, the guidance application may be scaled downfor wireless user communications devices 506.

In system 500, there is typically more than one of each type of userequipment device but only one of each is shown in FIG. 5 to avoidovercomplicating the drawing. In addition, each user may utilize morethan one type of user equipment device and also more than one of eachtype of user equipment device.

In some embodiments, a user equipment device (e.g., user televisionequipment 502, user computer equipment 504, wireless user communicationsdevice 506) may be referred to as a “second screen device.” For example,a second screen device may supplement content presented on a first userequipment device. The content presented on the second screen device maybe any suitable content that supplements the content presented on thefirst device. In some embodiments, the second screen device provides aninterface for adjusting settings and display preferences of the firstdevice. In some embodiments, the second screen device is configured forinteracting with other second screen devices or for interacting with asocial network. The second screen device can be located in the same roomas the first device, a different room from the first device but in thesame house or building, or in a different building from the firstdevice.

The user may also set various settings to maintain consistent mediaguidance application settings across in-home devices and remote devices.Settings include those described herein, as well as channel and programfavorites, programming preferences that the guidance applicationutilizes to make programming recommendations, display preferences, andother desirable guidance settings. For example, if a user sets a channelas a favorite on, for example, the web site www.Tivo.com on theirpersonal computer at their office, the same channel would appear as afavorite on the user's in-home devices (e.g., user television equipmentand user computer equipment) as well as the user's mobile devices, ifdesired. Therefore, changes made on one user equipment device can changethe guidance experience on another user equipment device, regardless ofwhether they are the same or a different type of user equipment device.In addition, the changes made may be based on settings input by a user,as well as user activity monitored by the guidance application.

The user equipment devices may be coupled to communications network 514.Namely, user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, andwireless user communications device 506 are coupled to communicationsnetwork 514 via communications paths 508, 510, and 512, respectively.Communications network 514 may be one or more networks including theInternet, a mobile phone network, mobile voice or data network (e.g., a4G or LTE network), cable network, public switched telephone network, orother types of communications network or combinations of communicationsnetworks. Paths 508, 510, and 512 may separately or together include oneor more communications paths, such as, a satellite path, a fiber-opticpath, a cable path, a path that supports Internet communications (e.g.,IPTV), free-space connections (e.g., for broadcast or other wirelesssignals), or any other suitable wired or wireless communications path orcombination of such paths. Path 512 is drawn with dotted lines toindicate that in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5 it is awireless path and paths 508 and 510 are drawn as solid lines to indicatethey are wired paths (although these paths may be wireless paths, ifdesired). Communications with the user equipment devices may be providedby one or more of these communications paths, but are shown as a singlepath in FIG. 5 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

Although communications paths are not drawn between user equipmentdevices, these devices may communicate directly with each other viacommunication paths, such as those described above in connection withpaths 508, 510, and 512, as well as other short-range point-to-pointcommunication paths, such as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wirelesspaths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.), or othershort-range communication via wired or wireless paths. BLUETOOTH is acertification mark owned by Bluetooth SIG, INC. The user equipmentdevices may also communicate with each other directly through anindirect path via communications network 514.

System 500 includes content source 516 and media guidance data source518 coupled to communications network 514 via communication paths 520and 522, respectively. Paths 520 and 522 may include any of thecommunication paths described above in connection with paths 508, 510,and 512. Communications with the content source 516 and media guidancedata source 518 may be exchanged over one or more communications paths,but are shown as a single path in FIG. 5 to avoid overcomplicating thedrawing. In addition, there may be more than one of each of contentsource 516 and media guidance data source 518, but only one of each isshown in FIG. 5 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. (The differenttypes of each of these sources are discussed below.) If desired, contentsource 516 and media guidance data source 518 may be integrated as onesource device. Although communications between sources 516 and 518 withuser equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 are shown as throughcommunications network 514, in some embodiments, sources 516 and 518 maycommunicate directly with user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 viacommunication paths (not shown) such as those described above inconnection with paths 508, 510, and 512.

System 500 may also include an advertisement source 524 coupled tocommunications network 514 via a communications path 526. Path 526 mayinclude any of the communication paths described above in connectionwith paths 508, 510, and 512. Advertisement source 524 may includeadvertisement logic to determine which advertisements to transmit tospecific users and under which circumstances. For example, a cableoperator may have the right to insert advertisements during specifictime slots on specific channels. Thus, advertisement source 524 maytransmit advertisements to users during those time slots. As anotherexample, advertisement source may target advertisements based on thedemographics of users known to view a particular show (e.g., teenagersviewing a reality show). As yet another example, advertisement sourcemay provide different advertisements depending on the location of theuser equipment viewing a media asset (e.g., east coast or west coast).

In some embodiments, advertisement source 524 may be configured tomaintain user information including advertisement-suitability scoresassociated with user in order to provide targeted advertising.Additionally or alternatively, a server associated with advertisementsource 524 may be configured to store raw information that may be usedto derive advertisement-suitability scores. In some embodiments,advertisement source 524 may transmit a request to another device forthe raw information and calculate the advertisement-suitability scores.Advertisement source 524 may update advertisement-suitability scores forspecific users (e.g., first subset, second subset, or third subset ofusers) and transmit an advertisement of the target product toappropriate users.

Content source 516 may include one or more types of content distributionequipment including a television distribution facility, cable systemheadend, satellite distribution facility, programming sources (e.g.,television broadcasters, such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediatedistribution facilities and/or servers, Internet providers, on-demandmedia servers, and other content providers. NBC is a trademark owned bythe National Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is a trademark owned by theAmerican Broadcasting Company, Inc., and HBO is a trademark owned by theHome Box Office, Inc. Content source 516 may be the originator ofcontent (e.g., a television broadcaster, a Webcast provider, etc.) ormay not be the originator of content (e.g., an on-demand contentprovider, an Internet provider of content of broadcast programs fordownloading, etc.). Content source 516 may include cable sources,satellite providers, on-demand providers, Internet providers,over-the-top content providers, or other providers of content. Contentsource 516 may also include a remote media server used to storedifferent types of content (including video content selected by a user),in a location remote from any of the user equipment devices. Systems andmethods for remote storage of content, and providing remotely storedcontent to user equipment are discussed in greater detail in connectionwith Ellis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,761,892, issued Jul. 20, 2010, whichis hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Media guidance data source 518 may provide media guidance data, such asthe media guidance data described above. Media guidance data may beprovided to the user equipment devices using any suitable approach. Insome embodiments, the guidance application may be a stand-aloneinteractive television program guide that receives program guide datavia a data feed (e.g., a continuous feed or trickle feed). Programschedule data and other guidance data may be provided to the userequipment on a television channel sideband, using an in-band digitalsignal, using an out-of-band digital signal, or by any other suitabledata transmission technique. Program schedule data and other mediaguidance data may be provided to user equipment on multiple analog ordigital television channels.

In some embodiments, guidance data from media guidance data source 518may be provided to users' equipment using a client-server approach. Forexample, a user equipment device may pull media guidance data from aserver, or a server may push media guidance data to a user equipmentdevice. In some embodiments, a guidance application client residing onthe user's equipment may initiate sessions with source 518 to obtainguidance data when needed, e.g., when the guidance data is out of dateor when the user equipment device receives a request from the user toreceive data. Media guidance may be provided to the user equipment withany suitable frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, a user-specifiedperiod of time, a system-specified period of time, in response to arequest from user equipment, etc.). Media guidance data source 518 mayprovide user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 the media guidanceapplication itself or software updates for the media guidanceapplication.

In some embodiments, the media guidance data may include viewer data.For example, the viewer data may include current and/or historical useractivity information (e.g., what content the user typically watches,what times of day the user watches content, whether the user interactswith a social network, at what times the user interacts with a socialnetwork to post information, what types of content the user typicallywatches (e.g., pay TV or free TV), mood, brain activity information,etc.). The media guidance data may also include subscription data. Forexample, the subscription data may identify to which sources or servicesa given user subscribes and/or to which sources or services the givenuser has previously subscribed but later terminated access (e.g.,whether the user subscribes to premium channels, whether the user hasadded a premium level of services, whether the user has increasedInternet speed). In some embodiments, the viewer data and/or thesubscription data may identify patterns of a given user for a period ofmore than one year. The media guidance data may include a model (e.g., asurvivor model) used for generating a score that indicates a likelihooda given user will terminate access to a service/source. For example, themedia guidance application may process the viewer data with thesubscription data using the model to generate a value or score thatindicates a likelihood of whether the given user will terminate accessto a particular service or source. In particular, a higher score mayindicate a higher level of confidence that the user will terminateaccess to a particular service or source. Based on the score, the mediaguidance application may generate promotions that entice the user tokeep the particular service or source indicated by the score as one towhich the user will likely terminate access.

Media guidance applications may be, for example, stand-aloneapplications implemented on user equipment devices. For example, themedia guidance application may be implemented as software or a set ofexecutable instructions which may be stored in storage 408, and executedby control circuitry 404 of a user equipment device 400. In someembodiments, media guidance applications may be client-serverapplications where only a client application resides on the userequipment device, and server application resides on a remote server. Forexample, media guidance applications may be implemented partially as aclient application on control circuitry 404 of user equipment device 400and partially on a remote server as a server application (e.g., mediaguidance data source 518) running on control circuitry of the remoteserver. When executed by control circuitry of the remote server (such asmedia guidance data source 518), the media guidance application mayinstruct the control circuitry to generate the guidance applicationdisplays and transmit the generated displays to the user equipmentdevices. The server application may instruct the control circuitry ofthe media guidance data source 518 to transmit data for storage on theuser equipment. The client application may instruct control circuitry ofthe receiving user equipment to generate the guidance applicationdisplays.

Content and/or media guidance data delivered to user equipment devices502, 504, and 506 may be over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT contentdelivery allows Internet-enabled user devices, including any userequipment device described above, to receive content that is transferredover the Internet, including any content described above, in addition tocontent received over cable or satellite connections. OTT content isdelivered via an Internet connection provided by an Internet serviceprovider (ISP), but a third party distributes the content. The ISP maynot be responsible for the viewing abilities, copyrights, orredistribution of the content, and may only transfer IP packets providedby the OTT content provider. Examples of OTT content providers includeYOUTUBE, NETFLIX, and HULU, which provide audio and video via IPpackets. Youtube is a trademark owned by Google Inc., Netflix is atrademark owned by Netflix Inc., and Hulu is a trademark owned by Hulu,LLC. OTT content providers may additionally or alternatively providemedia guidance data described above. In addition to content and/or mediaguidance data, providers of OTT content can distribute media guidanceapplications (e.g., web-based applications or cloud-based applications),or the content can be displayed by media guidance applications stored onthe user equipment device.

Media guidance system 500 is intended to illustrate a number ofapproaches, or network configurations, by which user equipment devicesand sources of content and guidance data may communicate with each otherfor the purpose of accessing content and providing media guidance. Theembodiments described herein may be applied in any one or a subset ofthese approaches, or in a system employing other approaches fordelivering content and providing media guidance. The following fourapproaches provide specific illustrations of the generalized example ofFIG. 5.

In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each otherwithin a home network. User equipment devices can communicate with eachother directly via short-range point-to-point communication schemesdescribed above, via indirect paths through a hub or other similardevice provided on a home network, or via communications network 514.Each of the multiple individuals in a single home may operate differentuser equipment devices on the home network. As a result, it may bedesirable for various media guidance information or settings to becommunicated between the different user equipment devices. For example,it may be desirable for users to maintain consistent media guidanceapplication settings on different user equipment devices within a homenetwork, as described in greater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. PatentPublication No. 2005/0251827, filed Jul. 11, 2005. Different types ofuser equipment devices in a home network may also communicate with eachother to transmit content. For example, a user may transmit content fromuser computer equipment to a portable video player or portable musicplayer.

In a second approach, users may have multiple types of user equipment bywhich they access content and obtain media guidance. For example, someusers may have home networks that are accessed by in-home and mobiledevices. Users may control in-home devices via a media guidanceapplication implemented on a remote device. For example, users mayaccess an online media guidance application on a website via a personalcomputer at their office, or a mobile device such as a PDA orweb-enabled mobile telephone. The user may set various settings (e.g.,recordings, reminders, or other settings) on the online guidanceapplication to control the user's in-home equipment. The online guidemay control the user's equipment directly, or by communicating with amedia guidance application on the user's in-home equipment. Varioussystems and methods for user equipment devices communicating, where theuser equipment devices are in locations remote from each other, isdiscussed in, for example, Ellis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,046,801, issuedOct. 25, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

In a third approach, users of user equipment devices inside and outsidea home can use their media guidance application to communicate directlywith content source 516 to access content. Specifically, within a home,users of user television equipment 502 and user computer equipment 504may access the media guidance application to navigate among and locatedesirable content. Users may also access the media guidance applicationoutside of the home using wireless user communications devices 506 tonavigate among and locate desirable content.

In a fourth approach, user equipment devices may operate in a cloudcomputing environment to access cloud services. In a cloud computingenvironment, various types of computing services for content sharing,storage or distribution (e.g., video sharing sites or social networkingsites) are provided by a collection of network-accessible computing andstorage resources, referred to as “the cloud.” For example, the cloudcan include a collection of server computing devices, which may belocated centrally or at distributed locations, that provide cloud-basedservices to various types of users and devices connected via a networksuch as the Internet via communications network 514. These cloudresources may include one or more content sources 516 and one or moremedia guidance data sources 518. In addition, or in the alternative, theremote computing sites may include other user equipment devices, such asuser television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and wirelessuser communications device 506. For example, the other user equipmentdevices may provide access to a stored copy of a video or a streamedvideo. In such embodiments, user equipment devices may operate in apeer-to-peer manner without communicating with a central server.

The cloud provides access to services, such as content storage, contentsharing, or social networking services, among other examples, as well asaccess to any content described above, for user equipment devices.Services can be provided in the cloud through cloud computing serviceproviders, or through other providers of online services. For example,the cloud-based services can include a content storage service, acontent sharing site, a social networking site, or other services viawhich user-sourced content is distributed for viewing by others onconnected devices. These cloud-based services may allow a user equipmentdevice to store content to the cloud and to receive content from thecloud rather than storing content locally and accessing locally-storedcontent.

A user may use various content capture devices, such as camcorders,digital cameras with video mode, audio recorders, mobile phones, andhandheld computing devices, to record content. The user can uploadcontent to a content storage service on the cloud either directly, forexample, from user computer equipment 504 or wireless usercommunications device 506 having content capture feature. Alternatively,the user can first transfer the content to a user equipment device, suchas user computer equipment 504. The user equipment device storing thecontent uploads the content to the cloud using a data transmissionservice on communications network 514. In some embodiments, the userequipment device itself is a cloud resource, and other user equipmentdevices can access the content directly from the user equipment deviceon which the user stored the content.

Cloud resources may be accessed by a user equipment device using, forexample, a web browser, a media guidance application, a desktopapplication, a mobile application, and/or any combination of accessapplications of the same. The user equipment device may be a cloudclient that relies on cloud computing for application delivery, or theuser equipment device may have some functionality without access tocloud resources. For example, some applications running on the userequipment device may be cloud applications, i.e., applications deliveredas a service over the Internet, while other applications may be storedand run on the user equipment device. In some embodiments, a user devicemay receive content from multiple cloud resources simultaneously. Forexample, a user device can stream audio from one cloud resource whiledownloading content from a second cloud resource. Or a user device candownload content from multiple cloud resources for more efficientdownloading. In some embodiments, user equipment devices can use cloudresources for processing operations such as the processing operationsperformed by processing circuitry described in relation to FIG. 4.

As referred herein, the term “in response to” refers to initiated as aresult of. For example, a first action being performed in response to asecond action may include interstitial steps between the first actionand the second action. As referred herein, the term “directly inresponse to” refers to caused by. For example, a first action beingperformed directly in response to a second action may not includeinterstitial steps between the first action and the second action.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative flow diagram of a process 600 forproviding recommendations to a user in accordance with an embodiment ofthe disclosure. Process 600 may be executed by control circuitry 404(e.g., in a manner instructed to control circuitry 404 by the mediaguidance application). Control circuitry 404 may be a part of userequipment (e.g., user television equipment 502, user computer equipment504, and/or wireless communications device 506), or of a remote serverseparated from the user equipment by way of communications network 514.In some embodiments, any of the steps 602-608 of FIG. 6 may beoptionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of the steps 602-608 ofFIG. 6 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

Process 600 begins at 602, where control circuitry 404 maintains ashort-media viewing profile for the user. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 may store the short-media viewing profile in storage 408.In some embodiments, the short-media viewing profile may be stored atmedia guidance data source 518.

For example, control circuitry 404 may track the user's behavior duringtime periods (e.g. time period 114) when the user is consumingshort-length media content. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404may then record the user's interaction in the short-media viewingprofile. For example, if the user requests other media content duringthese time periods, control circuitry 404 may record metadata associatedwith that other media content in the short-media viewing profile. Theother media content may be requested by the user via user televisionequipment 502 or any other user device, such as user computer equipment504. In another example, if the user interacts with an advertisementduring these time periods, control circuitry 404 may record metadataassociated with that advertisement in the short-media viewing profile.The advertisement may be presented on user television equipment 502, ondisplay 100, or on any device of user computer equipment 504. The usermay interact with the advertisement via user interface input 410, viarecommendation UI 118, or via input on any device of user computerequipment 504.

Process 600 continues at 604, where control circuitry 404 maintains along-media viewing profile for the user. Steps 602 and 604 may beperformed in any order or concurrently with one another. In someembodiments, control circuitry 404 may store the long-media viewingprofile in storage 408. In some embodiments, the long-media viewingprofile may be stored at media guidance data source 518.

For example, control circuitry 404 may track the user's behavior duringtime periods (e.g. time period 112) when the user is consuminglong-length media content. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404may then record user's interaction in the long-media viewing profile.For example, if the user requests other media content during these timeperiods, control circuitry 404 may record metadata associated with thatother media content in the long-media viewing profile. The other mediacontent may be requested by the user via user television equipment 502or any other user device, such as user computer equipment 504. Inanother example, if the user interacts with an advertisement duringthese time periods, control circuitry 404 may record metadata associatedwith that long in the long-media viewing profile. The advertisement maybe presented on user television equipment 502, on display 100, or on anydevice of user computer equipment 504. The user may interact with theadvertisement via user interface input 410, via recommendation UI 118,or by input on any device of user computer equipment 504.

Process 600 continues at 606 where control circuitry 404 provides arecommendation (e.g., recommendation 116) to the user based on theshort-media viewing profile. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404may provide such a recommendation in response to determining that theuser is currently engaged in viewing short-length media content. Forexample, if control circuitry 404 determines that the user is currentlyengaged in viewing short-length media content (e.g., during time period114), control circuitry 404 may use the short-media viewing profile toprovide a recommendation for display.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may select a recommendationthat has metadata that matches recommendation metadata stored in theshort-media viewing profile. For example, if the short-media viewingprofile includes stored metadata keyword “pizza,” control circuitry 404may select a recommendation (e.g., a Domino's Pizza advertisement) thathas metadata (e.g., metadata keyword “pizza”) matching the storedmetadata. Control circuitry 404 may then provide the selectedrecommendation for display. In one example, control circuitry 404 mayprovide the Domino's Pizza ad on display 100, on user televisionequipment 502, or on user computer equipment 504.

Process 600 continues at 608 where control circuitry 404 provides arecommendation (e.g., recommendation 116) to the user based on thelong-media viewing profile. In some embodiments, steps 606 and 608 maybe performed in any order. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404may provide such a recommendation in response to determining that theuser is currently engaged in viewing long-length media content. Forexample, if control circuitry 404 determines that the user is currentlyengaged in viewing long-length media content (e.g., during period 112),control circuitry 404 may use the long-media viewing profile to providea recommendation for display.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may select a recommendationthat has metadata that matches recommendation metadata stored in thelong-media viewing profile. For example, if the long-media viewingprofile includes stored metadata keyword “car,” control circuitry 404may select a recommendation (e.g., a Ford car ad) that has metadata(e.g., metadata keyword “car”) matching the stored metadata. Controlcircuitry 404 may then provide the selected recommendation for display.In one example, control circuitry 404 may provide the Ford car ad ondisplay 100, on user television equipment 502, or on user computerequipment 504.

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative flow diagram of another process 700 forproviding recommendations to a user in accordance with an embodiment ofthe disclosure. Process 700 may be executed by control circuitry 404(e.g., in a manner instructed to control circuitry 404 by the mediaguidance application). Control circuitry 404 may be a part of userequipment (e.g., user television equipment 502, user computer equipment504, and/or wireless communications device 506), or of a remote serverseparated from the user equipment by way of communications network 514.In some embodiments, any of the steps 702-726 of FIG. 7 may beoptionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of the steps 702-626 ofFIG. 7 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

Process 700 begins at steps 702-704 and 706-708. In some embodiments,sequences of steps 702, 704 and 706, 708 may be performed in any orderor interspersed with each other.

At 702, control circuitry 404 tracks behavior of the user while the useris engaged in watching short-length media content (e.g. during timeperiod 114). For example, control circuitry 404 may track the user'sbehavior when the user watches media content that is shorter than acertain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes.) In some embodiments, anyother length threshold may be used.

At 704, control circuitry 404 may generate a short-media viewing profilebased on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged inwatching short-length media content (e.g., during time period 114). Insome embodiments, control circuitry 404 may track the user's requestsfor other media content (e.g., requests for other video via usertelevision equipment 502), track the user's requests for other data(e.g., user request for a web page via user computer equipment 504), ortrack any of the user's interaction with content (e.g., requests fortrick play modes via use imputer interface 410), or the user'sinteraction with provided advertisements (e.g., user clicking on apop-up ad). The tracked behavior may be used by control circuitry 404 togenerate recommendation metadata which is then stored in the short-mediaviewing profile.

At 706, control circuitry 404 tracks behavior of the user while the useris engaged in watching long-length media content (e.g. during timeperiod 112). For example, control circuitry 404 may track the user'sbehavior when the user watches media content that is equal to or longerthan a certain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes.)

At 708, control circuitry 404 may generate a long-media viewing profilebased on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged inwatching long-length media content (e.g., during time period 112). Insome embodiments, control circuitry 404 may track user's requests forother media content (e.g., requests for other video via user televisionequipment 502), track the user's requests for other data (e.g., userrequest for a web-page via user computer equipment 504), or track any ofthe user's interaction with content (e.g., requests for trick play modesvia use imputer interface 410), or the user's interaction with providedadvertisements (e.g., user clicking on a pop-up ad). The trackedbehavior may be used by control circuitry 404 to generate recommendationmetadata which is then stored in the long-media viewing profile.

Process 700 continues at 710, where circuitry 404 provides media contentto a user device. For example, the media guidance application running oncontrol circuitry 404 may generate media content for display on adisplay 412 of user television equipment 502. The media content may begenerated for display by way of an explicit user selection to play thevideo, as a result of the user equipment being powered on, or by anyother triggering events.

Process 700 continues to 712, where control circuitry 404 compares thelength of the media content to a length threshold. For example, thelength threshold may pre-set at a certain time value (e.g., 15 minutes).Control circuitry 404 may dynamically generate the length thresholdbased on factors including at least one of a user profile, metadata ofthe provided media content, popularity of the media content, and type ofthe media content, or any combination thereof. For example, controlcircuitry 404 may set the length threshold differently for news videosand for videos depicting fictional content. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 may retrieve the length of the media content from mediacontent data source 516 or media guidance data source 518.

In some embodiments, the length threshold may be set differently fordifferent users. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may set thelength threshold differently depending on demographic information of theuser. For example, control circuitry 404 may set the length thresholdlower (e.g. to 5 minutes) for young users (e.g., users under the age of10) and higher (e.g., to 15 minutes) for older users.

Process 700 continues to 714, where process 700 may proceed to steps716-720 if the length of the media content corresponds to (e.g., equalsor exceeds) the length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). Alternatively,process 700 may proceed to steps 722-726 if the length of the mediacontent does not correspond to (e.g., does not equals exceed) the lengththreshold (e.g., 15 minutes).

At 716, control circuitry 404 may activate the long-media viewingprofile. That is, while the long-media viewing profile is active,control circuitry 404 may modify that viewing profile based on thetracked behavior of the user. In some embodiments, recommendationsprovided by control circuitry 404 will also be based on the activatedlong-media viewing profile.

At 718, control circuitry 404 may select a recommendation item. Forexample, a recommendation item may be selected from media guidance datasource 518 (e.g., if the recommendation item is associated with mediacontent) or from advertisement source 524 (e.g., if the recommendationitem is associated with an advertisement).

In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may select the recommendationitem such that the metadata of the recommendation item matches at leastone recommendation metadata of the long-media viewing profile. Forexample, control circuitry 404 may match keywords associated with amedia content database stored at media guidance data source 518. Inanother example, control circuitry 404 may match keywords associatedwith an advertisement database stored at advertisement source 524. Ifthe metadata of the recommendation item sufficiently matches at leastsome of the metadata stored in the long-media viewing profile, controlcircuitry 404 may select that recommendation item for presentation.

At 720, control circuitry 404 may provide recommendation item to theuser device. For example, the recommendation item may be displayed ondisplay 100 as recommendation 116. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 may provide recommendation item to user computer equipment504.

At 722, control circuitry 404 may activate the short-media viewingprofile. That is, while the short-media viewing profile is active,control circuitry 404 may modify that viewing profile based on thetracked behavior of the user. In some embodiments, recommendationsprovided by control circuitry 404 will also be based on the activatedshort-media viewing profile.

At 724, control circuitry 404 may select a recommendation item. Forexample, a recommendation item may be selected from media guidance datasource 518 (e.g., if the recommendation item is associated with mediacontent) or from advertisement source 524 (e.g., if the recommendationitem is associated with an advertisement).

In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may select the recommendationitem, such that the metadata of the recommendation item matches at leastone recommendation metadata of the short-media viewing profile. Forexample, control circuitry 404 may match keywords associated with mediacontent database stored at media guidance data source 518. In anotherexample, control circuitry 404 may match keywords associated with anadvertisement database stored at advertisement sources 524. If themetadata of the recommendation item sufficiently matches at least someof the metadata stored in the short-media viewing profile, controlcircuitry 404 may select that recommendation item for presentation.

At 726, control circuitry 404 may provide a recommendation item to theuser device. For example, the recommendation item may be displayed ondisplay 100 as recommendation 116. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 may provide a recommendation item to user computerequipment 504.

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative flow diagram of a process 800 forgenerating a short-media viewing profile in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. Process 800 may be executed by controlcircuitry 404, for example, in a manner instructed to control circuitry404 by the media guidance application. In some embodiments, process 800may be performed as part of block 704. In some embodiments, any of thesteps 802-808 of FIG. 8 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments,any of the steps 802-808 of FIG. 8 may be performed in any order orsimultaneously.

Process 800 begins at 802, where control circuitry 404 may determinethat the user is watching short-length media content. For example,control circuitry 404 may determine that the content that is currentlyprovided to the media device has a length that does not exceed a certainthreshold (e.g. 15 minutes.) In response to this determination, controlcircuitry 404 may proceed to block 804.

Process 800 continues to 804, where control circuitry 404 may monitoruser requests for content during or immediately after the time when theshort-length media content is played. For example, control circuitry 404may analyze any request for media content, for web pages, or for anyother data generated by the user via either user television equipment502 or user computer equipment 504.

Process 800 continues to 806, where control circuitry 404 may storemetadata associated with the user requests. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 may generate or modify the short-media viewing profile toinclude a plurality of recommendation metadata. For example, therecommendation metadata may be generated by copying metadata of contentrequested by the user. For example, if the user requested the musicvideo “Thriller” while watching short-length media content (e.g., duringtime period 114), control circuitry 404 may store metadata associatedwith that music video in the short-media viewing profile asrecommendation metadata. In this example, control circuitry 404 maystore keywords such as “thriller,” “Michael Jackson,” and “pop music” inthe short-media viewing profile as recommendation metadata. In anotherexample, if the user requested the website www.toyota.com while watchingshort-length media content (e.g., during time period 114), controlcircuitry 404 may store metadata associated with that website in theshort-media viewing profile as recommendation metadata. In this example,control circuitry 404 may store keywords such as “Toyota,” or “car” inthe short-media viewing profile as recommendation metadata.

FIG. 9 depicts another illustrative flow diagram of a process 900 forgenerating a short-media viewing profile in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. Process 900 may be executed by controlcircuitry 404, for example, in a manner instructed to control circuitry404 by the media guidance application. In some embodiments, process 900may be performed as part of block 704. In some embodiments, any of thesteps 902-908 of FIG. 6 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments,any of the steps 902-908 of FIG. 9 may be performed in any order orsimultaneously.

Process 900 begins at 902, where control circuitry 404 may determinethat the user is watching short-length media content. For example,control circuitry 404 may determine that the content that is currentlyprovided to the media device has a length that does exceed a certainthreshold (e.g. 15 minutes.) In response to this determination, controlcircuitry 404 may proceed to block 904.

Process 900 continues to 904, where control circuitry 404 may provide anadvertisement to the user device during or immediately after the timewhen the short-length media content is played. For example, controlcircuitry 404 may retrieve an advertisement from advertisement source524 and deliver it to user television equipment 502 or to user computerequipment 504.

Process 900 continues to 906, where control circuitry 404 may monitorthe user's response to the advertisement. For example, control circuitry404 may track whether the user clicked on or otherwise interacted withthe advertisement via user input interface 410 or via user computerequipment 504. Control circuitry 404 may also track whether the userignored or closed the advertisement. In some embodiments, if controlcircuitry 404 determined that the user reacted favorably to theadvertisement (e.g., if the advertainments was clicked), controlcircuitry 404 may proceed to block 908.

Process 900 continues to 908, where control circuitry 404 may storemetadata associated with the advertisement. For example, if a userreacted favorably to an ad about Domino's Pizza, control circuitry 404may store keywords “Pizza,” or “Domino's,” or “takeout” asrecommendation metadata in the short-media viewing profile.

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative flow diagram of a process 1000 forgenerating a long-media viewing profile in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. Process 1000 may be executed by controlcircuitry 404, for example, in a manner instructed to control circuitry404 by the media guidance application. In some embodiments, process 800may be performed as part of block 704. In some embodiments, any of thesteps 1002-1006 of FIG. 10 may be optionally omitted. In someembodiments, any of the steps 1002-1008 of FIG. 10 may be performed inany order or simultaneously.

Process 1000 begins at 1002, where control circuitry 404 may determinethat the user is watching long-length media content. For example,control circuitry 404 may determine that the content that is currentlyprovided to the media device has a length that exceeds a certainthreshold (e.g. 15 minutes.) In response to this determination, controlcircuitry 404 may proceed to block 1004.

Process 1000 continues to 1004, where control circuitry 404 may monitoruser requests for content during or immediately after the time when thelong-length media content is played. For example, control circuitry 404may analyze any request for media content, for web pages, or for anyother data generated by the user via either user television equipment502 or user computer equipment 504.

Process 1000 continues to 1006, where control circuitry 404 may storemetadata associated with the user requests. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 may generate or modify the long-media viewing profile toinclude a plurality of recommendation metadata. For example, therecommendation metadata may be generated by copying metadata of contentrequested by the user. For example, if the user requested the movie“Titanic” while watching long-length media content (e.g., during timeperiod 112), control circuitry 404 may store metadata associated withthat movie in the long-media viewing profile as recommendation metadata.In this example, control circuitry 404 may store keywords such as“Titanic,” “Leonardo DiCaprio,” and “romantic movies” in the long-mediaviewing profile as recommendation metadata. In another example, if theuser requests the website www.subway.com, while watching long-lengthmedia content (e.g., during time period 112), control circuitry 404 maystore metadata associated with that website in the long-media viewingprofile as recommendation metadata. In this example, control circuitry404 may store keywords such as “sandwich,” or “sub” in the long-mediaviewing profile as recommendation metadata.

FIG. 11 depicts another illustrative flow diagram of a process 1100 forgenerating a long-media viewing profile in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. Process 1100 may be executed by controlcircuitry 404, for example, in a manner instructed to control circuitry404 by the media guidance application. In some embodiments, process 1100may be performed as part of block 708. In some embodiments, any of thesteps 1102-1108 of FIG. 11 may be optionally omitted. In someembodiments, any of the steps 1102-1108 of FIG. 11 may be performed inany order or simultaneously.

Process 1100 begins at 1102, where control circuitry 404 may determinethat the user is watching long-length media content. For example,control circuitry 404 may determine that the content that is currentlyprovided to the media device has a length that exceeds a certainthreshold (e.g. 15 minutes.) In response to this determination, controlcircuitry 404 may proceed to block 1104.

Process 1100 continues to 1104, where control circuitry 404 may providean advertisement to the user device during or immediately after the timewhen the long-length media content is played. For example, controlcircuitry 404 may retrieve an advertisement from advertisement source524 and deliver it to user television equipment 502 or to user computerequipment 504.

Process 1100 continues to 1106, where control circuitry 404 may monitorthe user's response to the advertisement. For example, control circuitry404 may track whether the user clicked on or otherwise interacted withthe advertisement via user input interface 410 or via user computerequipment 504. Control circuitry 404 may also track whether the userignored or closed the advertisement. In some embodiments, if controlcircuitry 404 determined that the user reacted favorably to theadvertiser (e.g., if the advertisement was clicked), control circuitry404 may proceed to block 1108.

Process 1100 continues to 1108, where control circuitry 404 may storemetadata associated with the advertisement. For example, if a userreacted favorably to an add about Ford cars, control circuitry 404 maystore keywords “Ford,” or “car,” or “sedan” as recommendation metadatain the long-media viewing profile.

FIG. 12 depicts an illustrative flow diagram of a process 1200 foractivating either the long-media viewing profile or the short-mediaviewing profile in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.Process 1200 may be executed by control circuitry 404, for example, in amanner instructed to control circuitry 404 by the media guidanceapplication. In some embodiments, process 1200 may be performed as partof either block 716 or 722. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404may activate either the short-media viewing profile or the long-mediawatching profile without determining the length of the media content(e.g. at block 712). In some embodiments, any of the steps 1202-1214 ofFIG. 12 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of the steps1202-1214 of FIG. 12 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

Process 1200 begins at blocks 1202, 1203, 1204, 1205, 1206, and 1207. Insome embodiments, process 1200 may perform any one or any combination ofthese blocks in any order or simultaneously.

At 1202, control circuitry 404 may analyze the time-of-day data. Forexample, control circuitry 404 may determine the current time andcurrent date. For example, control circuitry 404 may retrieve the timedata from user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, orfrom an internal clock.

At 1203, control circuitry 404 may analyze any type of data about theuser to determine what activity the user is currently engaged in. Forexample, calendar data and appointment data may be used by controlcircuitry 404 to determine what activity the user has scheduled at thetime. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may determine if theuser is walking, jogging, or driving based on the calendar data. In someembodiments, control circuitry 404 may determine the user's activitybased on location (e.g., GPS) data. For example, the user's speed may beused to determine if the user is walking, jogging, or driving. In someembodiments, user's current requests may be used to determine the user'sactivity. For example, if the user opens a recipe webpage and keeps itopen for a certain period of time, control circuitry 404 may determinethat the user in engaged in a cooking activity. In some embodiments, anyother data may be used to determine any other user activity.

At 1204, control circuitry 404 may analyze user's location. For example,control circuitry 404 may determine the user's location based on the IPaddress of user computer equipment 504. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 may retrieve GPS data from user computer equipment 504 todetermine the user's location.

At 1205, control circuitry 404 may monitor and analyze user's watchingbehavior. For example, control circuitry 404 may monitor the user'strick-play mode requests. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 maymonitor if the user frequently pauses the media content he or shecurrently watches. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 mayanalyze whether the user has abruptly stopped watching long-length mediacontent.

At 1206, control circuitry 404 may analyze the user's search input. Forexample, control circuitry 404 may track recent search inputs receivedfrom user computer equipment 504. For example, if the user searches for“car dealership,” control circuitry 404 may analyze the content of thatsearch.

At 1207, control circuitry 404 may receive an explicit profile selectioninput from the user, e.g. via user input interface 410. For example, theuser may explicitly select (e.g., via a radio button input) an option“long-length mode” or an option “short-length mode.”

Process 1200 continues to 1208 where control circuitry 404 determineswhether the user is in the mood to watch long-length media content orshort-length media content based on analysis of either one or several ofblocks 1202-1206. For example, the control circuitry 404 may have data(e.g., in storage 408) indicating that the user is in the mood to watchlong-length media content on weekend evenings. In this example, if thecurrent time was determined to be 8:15 PM on Saturday or Sunday (e.g.,in block 1202), control circuitry 404 may determine that the user is inthe mood to watch long-length media content. In another example, controlcircuitry 404 may have data indicating that the user is in the mood towatch short-length media content when the user is at work (e.g., on alunch break). In this example, if the current user's location wasdetermined to be the user's place of employment (e.g., at block 1204),control circuitry 404 may determine that the user is in the mood towatch short-length media content. In another example, if controlcircuitry 404 determines (e.g., at 1206) that the user's search relatedto long-length media, control circuitry 404 may determine that that theuser is in the mood to watch long-length media content.

In another example, control circuitry 404 may have data indicatinguser's current activity as detected in block 1203. In some embodiments,some activities (e.g., taking a long walk, relaxing at home) may beassociated with a mood to watch long-length media content. In someembodiments, some activities (e.g., jogging, cooking) may be associatewith a mood to watch short-length media content. Consequently, controlcircuitry 404 may determine that that the user is in the mood to watchlong- or short-length media content based on the user's activity.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may determine that that theuser is in the mood to watch long- or short-length media content basedon the user's watching behavior monitored in block 1205. For example, ifthe user frequently pauses and re-starts the playback of media content,control circuitry 404 may determine that the user is in the mood towatch short-length media content. In another example, if the userabruptly stops the playback of long-length media content, controlcircuitry 404 may determine that the user is in the mood to watchshort-length media content.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may determine that that theuser is in the mood to watch long- or short-length media content basedon input received in step 1207. For example, if the user has explicitlyselected “long-length mode” via user interface, control circuitry 404may determine that the user is in the mood to watch long-length mediacontent. In another example, if the user has explicitly selected“short-length mode” via user interface, control circuitry 404 maydetermine that the user is in the mood to watch short-length mediacontent.

Process 1200 continues to 1210 where control circuitry 404 may proceedto 1212 if the user is in the mood to watch long-length media content.Control circuitry 404 may proceed to 1214 if the user is in the mood towatch short-length media content.

At 1212, control circuitry 404 may activate the long-media viewingprofile. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may then performsteps 718 and 720 of FIG. 7.

At 1214, control circuitry 404 may activate the short-media viewingprofile. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may then performstep 724 and 726 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 13 depicts an illustrative flow diagram of a process 1300 forproviding recommendation item to the user device in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. Process 1300 may be executed by controlcircuitry 404, for example, in a manner instructed to control circuitry404 by the media guidance application. In some embodiments, process 1300may be performed as part of either blocks 718 or 724. In someembodiments, any of the steps 1302-1312 of FIG. 13 may be optionallyomitted. In some embodiments, any of the steps 1302-1312 of FIG. 13 maybe performed in any order or simultaneously. In some embodiments,control circuitry 404 may select the recommendation item based on thelength of a media item associated with that recommendation item.

Process 1300 begins at 1302 where control circuitry 404 determines whichprofile is active. For example, the status indicating which profile isactive may be maintained in storage 408.

Process 1300 continues at 1304, where control circuitry 404 proceeds to1306 if the short-media viewing profile is active and to 1310 if thelong-media viewing profile is active.

At 1306, control circuitry 404 may select a short-length recommendationitem that is associated with second short-length media content. In someembodiments, if the short-media viewing profile is active, controlcircuitry 404 may only select recommendation items that are associatedwith short-length media content. That is, control circuitry 404 may onlyprovide recommendation for media content that is shorter than a certainlength threshold (e.g., 15 minutes).

At 1308, control circuitry 404 may provide the short-lengthrecommendation item to the user device. This may be done in a mannerdescribed in relation to block 720.

At 1310, control circuitry 404 may select a long-length recommendationitem that is associated with a second long-length media content. In someembodiments, if the long-media viewing profile is active, controlcircuitry 404 may only select recommendation items that are associatedwith long-length media content. That is, control circuitry 404 may onlyprovide recommendation for media content that is longer than certainlength threshold (e.g., 15 minutes).

At 1312, control circuitry 404 may provide the long-lengthrecommendation item to the user device. This may be done in a mannerdescribed in relation to block 726.

FIG. 14 depicts an illustrative flow diagram of a process 1400 forproviding the recommendation item to the user device in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure. Process 1400 may be executed bycontrol circuitry 404, for example, in a manner instructed to controlcircuitry 404 by the media guidance application. In some embodiments,process 1400 may be performed as part of either block 720 or 726. Insome embodiments, any of the steps 1402-1420 of FIG. 14 may beoptionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of the steps 1402-1420 ofFIG. 14 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

Process 1400 begins at 1402, where control circuitry 404 may maintain alist of recommended media content. For example, the list may include twoor more media content items (e.g., the “Thriller” music video followedby the “Beat It” music video). In some embodiments, the list may beordered, that is, each media content item in the list may be assigned apriority. For example, the music video “Thriller” may be given priorityof “1,” that is the music video “Thriller” may be first on the list. Inanother example, the music video “Beat It” may be given a priority of“2,” that is the music video “Beat It” may be second on the list. Insome embodiments, control circuitry 404 may provide media content to theuser device in an order specified by the list. For example, absentdifferent instructions, control circuitry 404 may first provide thefirst media content on the list (e.g., the music video “Thriller”) tothe user device, and upon conclusion of that media content, provide thesecond media content on the list (e.g., the music video “Beat It”) tothe user device. In another embodiment, once the media content isprovided to the user device, it is removed from the playlist. In thiscase, the first item of the list is always provided to the user device.

Process 1400 continues at 1404, where control circuitry 404 proceeds to1406 if the short-media viewing profile is active and to 1414 if thelong-media viewing profile is active. This determination may be made ina way similar to that described in relation to block 1302.

Process 1400 continues at 1406, where control circuitry 404 may adjustthe list of recommended media content based on the short-media viewingprofile. For example, control circuitry 404 may add content items to theplaylist based on the recommendation metadata contained in theshort-media viewing profile. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404may add content to the list from media content source 516, or mediaguidance data source 518. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 mayadd content to the list from third-party media content sources (e.g., athird-party website like YouTube).

In some embodiments, in addition to matching recommendation metadata inthe short-media viewing profile, control circuitry 404 may add contentto the list based on other factors. For example, when the short-mediaviewing profile is active, control circuitry 404 may check for othershort-length media that was recently watched or liked by the user'sfriends, and add that the short-length media to the list. In someembodiments, when the short-media viewing profile is active, controlcircuitry 404 may identify short-length media content that is of similartype to the currently provided media content. For example, if the useris watching a music video, control circuitry 404 may identify musicvideo short-length media content and add it to the list. In someembodiments, control circuitry 404 may also add at least one long-lengthmedia content to the list.

Process 1400 continues at 1408, where control circuitry 404 may sort thelist of recommended media content based on the short-media viewingprofile. For example, control circuitry 404 may sort the list to presentshort-length media content higher on the list, while long-length mediacontent may be presented lower on the list. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 may sort the list based on other factors, e.g., based onpopularity of the media content.

Process 1400 continues at 1410, where control circuitry 404 may providethe list of recommended media content to the user device. For example,the list may be provided on display 100 as recommendation 116. In someembodiments, the list is provided while the media content is still beingprovided. In some embodiments, the list is provided immediately (orshortly) after the current media content concludes.

Process 1400 continues at 1412, where control circuitry 404 may provideselected media content to the user device based on the user selectionfrom the list. For example, the user may select at least one mediacontent item from the list using, e.g. user interface input 410. In someembodiments, control circuitry 404 may then provide the selected mediacontent to the user device after the presentation of the current mediacontent concludes.

Process 1400 may alternatively continue at 1414 after block 1404, wherecontrol circuitry 404 may adjust the list of recommended media contentbased on the long-media viewing profile. For example, control circuitry404 may add content items to the playlist based on recommendationmetadata contained in the long-media viewing profile. In someembodiments, control circuitry 404 may add content to the list frommedia content source 516, or media guidance data source 518. In someembodiments, control circuitry 404 may add content to the list fromthird-party media content sources (e.g., a third-party website likeYouTube).

In some embodiments, in addition to matching recommendation metadata inthe long-media viewing profile, control circuitry 404 may add content tothe list based on other factors. For example, when the long-mediaviewing profile is active, control circuitry 404 may check for otherlong-length media that was recently watched or liked by the user'sfriends, and add that long-length media to the list. In someembodiments, when the long-media viewing profile is active, controlcircuitry 404 may identify long-length media content of similar type tothe currently provided media content. For example, if the user iswatching a romantic movie, control circuitry 404 may identify otherromantic movie long-length media content item and add it to the list. Insome embodiments, control circuitry 404 may also add at least oneshort-length media content item to the list.

Process 1400 continues at 1416, where control circuitry 404 may sort thelist of recommended media content based on the long-media viewingprofile. For example, control circuitry 404 may sort the list to presentlong-length media content higher on the list, while short-length mediacontent may be presented lower on the list. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 may sort the list based on other factors, e.g., based onthe user's friends' recommendations or preferences.

Process 1400 continues at 1418, where control circuitry 404 may providethe list of recommended media content to the user device. For example,the list be provided on display 100 as recommendation 116. In someembodiments, the list is provided while the current media content isstill being provided. In some embodiments, the list is providedimmediately (or shortly after) the current media content concludes.

Process 1400 continues at 1420, where control circuitry 404 may provideselected media content to the user device based on the user selectionfrom the list. For example, the user may select at least media contentitem from the list using, e.g. recommendation UI 118. In someembodiments, control circuitry 404 may then provide the selected mediacontent to the user device after the presentation of the current mediacontent concludes.

FIG. 15 depicts an illustrative flow diagram of a process 1500 forproviding the recommendation item to the user device in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure. Process 1500 may be executed bycontrol circuitry 404, for example, in a manner instructed to controlcircuitry 404 by the media guidance application. In some embodiments,process 1400 may be performed as part of either block 720 or 726. Insome embodiments, any of the steps 1502-1506 of FIG. 15 may beoptionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of the steps 1502-1506 ofFIG. 15 may be performed in any order or simultaneously. In someembodiments, in the context of process 1500, the recommendation item maycomprise media content.

Process 1500 begins at 1502, where control circuitry 404 maintains aplaylist. The playlist may comprise an ordered data structure ofrecommendation items (e.g., recommendation media content items). In someembodiments, the playlist may include a plurality of movies or othervideo. For example, the playlist may include the movie “Titanic” and themusic video “Thriller.” For example, the movie “Titanic” may be givenpriority of “1.” In another example, the music video “Thriller” may begiven a priority of “2.” In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 mayprovide media content to the user device in an order specified by thelist. For example, absent different instructions, control circuitry 404may automatically provide the first media content on the list (e.g., themovie “Titanic”) to the user device, and upon conclusion of that mediacontent, automatically provide the second media content item on the list(e.g., the music video “Thriller”) to the user device. In someembodiments, any number of media content items of both long-length andshort-length may be included in the playlist.

Process 1500 continues at 1504, where control circuitry 404 adjusts theplaylist based on which viewing profile is activated. In someembodiments, the long-media viewing profile may have been activated(e.g., in block 716). In some embodiments, the short-media viewingprofile may have been activated (e.g., in block 722).

In some embodiments, if the short-media viewing profile is activated,control circuitry 404 may add one or more short-length media contentitems to the playlist. In some embodiments, additionally, oralternatively, control circuitry 404 may sort the playlist such that theshort-length media content items are assigned higher priority thanlong-length media content items. For example, the playlist may bemodified such that the music video “Thriller” (short-length mediacontent) is given higher priority on the playlist than the movie“Titanic” (long-length media content).

In some embodiments, if the long-media viewing profile is activated,control circuitry 404 may add one or more long-length media content itemto the playlist. In some embodiments, additionally, or alternatively,control circuitry 404 may sort the playlist such that long-length mediacontent items are assigned higher priority than short-length mediacontent items. For example, the playlist may be modified such that themovie “Titanic” (long-length media content) is given higher priority onthe playlist than the music video “Thriller” (short-length mediacontent).

Process 1500 continues at 1506, where control circuitry 404automatically provides the next media content to the user device basedon the order specified in the playlist. In some embodiments, theplaylist may be provided for display to the user, e.g. as recommendation116 on display 100. In some embodiments, the playlist may be invisibleto the user, and maintained internally by control circuitry 404.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may automatically provide themedia content item with the highest priority as next media content tothe user, after the presentation of the current media content (e.g.,media content provided at step 710) concludes. In some embodiments,control circuitry 404 may automatically provide the next media contentto the user device without any kind of user input. For example, once thepresentation of the current media content concludes, control circuitry404 may begin providing the movie “Titanic” (first item in theplays-list) to the user device without receiving any kind of user inputor confirmation.

It should be noted that processes 600-1500, or any step thereof, couldbe performed on, or provided by, any of the devices shown in, ordescribed with respect to, FIGS. 4-5. For example, either process 600 orprocess 700 may be executed by control circuitry 404 (FIG. 4) asinstructed by media guidance application(s) implemented on userequipment 502, 504, and 506 (FIG. 5). In addition, one or more steps ofprocesses 600 and 700 may be incorporated into, or combined with, one ormore steps of any other process or embodiment.

It is contemplated that the steps or descriptions of each of FIGS. 6-15may be used with any other embodiment of this disclosure. It iscontemplated that some steps or descriptions of each of FIGS. 6-15 maybe optional and may be omitted in some embodiments. In addition, thesteps and descriptions described in relation to FIGS. 6-15 may be donein alternative orders or in parallel to further the purposes of thisdisclosure. For example, each of these steps may be performed in anyorder or in parallel or substantially simultaneously to reduce lag orincrease the speed of the system or method. Furthermore, it should benoted that any of the devices or equipment discussed in relation toFIGS. 4-5 could be used to perform one or more of the steps in FIGS.6-15.

It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that methodsinvolved in the present disclosure may be embodied in a computer programproduct that includes a computer-usable and/or readable medium. Forexample, such a computer-usable medium may consist of a read-only memorydevice, such as a CD-ROM disk or conventional ROM device, or a randomaccess memory, such as a hard drive device or a computer diskette,having a computer-readable program code stored thereon. It should alsobe understood that methods, techniques, and processes involved in thepresent disclosure may be executed using processing circuitry. Theprocessing circuitry, for instance, may be a general purpose processor,a customized integrated circuit (e.g., an ASIC), or a field-programmablegate array (FPGA) within user equipment 400, media content source 516,or media guidance data source 518.

The processes discussed above in FIGS. 6-15 are intended to beillustrative and not limiting. One skilled in the art would appreciatethat the steps of the processes in FIGS. 6-15 discussed herein may beomitted, modified, combined, and/or rearranged, and any additional stepsmay be performed without departing from the scope of the disclosure.More generally, the above disclosure is meant to be exemplary and notlimiting. Only the claims that follow are meant to set bounds as to whatthe present invention includes. Furthermore, it should be noted that thefeatures and limitations described in any one embodiment may be appliedto any other embodiment herein, and flowcharts or examples relating toone embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment in a suitablemanner, done in different orders, or done in parallel. In addition, thesystems and methods described herein may be performed in real time. Itshould also be noted, the systems and/or methods described above may beapplied to, or used in accordance with, other systems and/or methods.

While some portions of this disclosure may make reference to“convention,” any such reference is merely for the purpose of providingcontext to the invention(s) of the instant disclosure, and does not formany admission as to what constitutes the state of the art.

1. (canceled)
 2. A method for providing recommendations to a user, themethod comprising: tracking behavior of the user while the user isengaged in watching short-length media content; generating a short-mediaviewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user wasengaged in watching short-length media content, the short-media viewingprofile comprising a plurality of recommendation metadata; trackingbehavior of the user while the user is engaged in watching long-lengthmedia content; generating a long-media viewing profile based on theuser's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in watchinglong-length media content, the long-media viewing profile comprising aplurality of recommendation metadata; providing media content to a userdevice; comparing the length of the media content to a length threshold;and in response to the determining that the length of the media contentcorresponds to the length threshold: activating the long-media viewingprofile; selecting a recommendation item, wherein the metadata of therecommendation item matches at least one recommendation metadata of thelong-media viewing profile; and providing the recommendation item to theuser device; in response to the determining that the length of the mediacontent does not correspond to the length threshold: activating theshort-media viewing profile; selecting a recommendation item, whereinthe metadata of the recommendation item matches at least onerecommendation metadata of the short-media viewing profile; andproviding the recommendation item to the user device.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein: the long-length media content comprises at least onefull-feature movie or full-length TV episode; and the short-length mediacontent comprises at least one of: user-created short video, a videoclip, a music video, and a news video.
 4. The method of claim 2, whereingenerating a short-media viewing profile comprises: determining that theuser is watching short-length media content; and in response todetermining that the user is watching short-length media content:monitoring user requests for content during or immediately after thetime when the short-length media content is played; and storing metadataassociated with the user requests.
 5. The method of claim 2, whereingenerating a short-media viewing profile comprises: determining that theuser is watching short-length media content; and in response todetermining that the user is watching short-length media content:providing an advertisement to the user device during or immediatelyafter the time when the short-length media content is played; monitoringthe user's response to the advertisement; in response to determiningthat the user's response was favorable, storing metadata associated withthe advertisement.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein generating along-media viewing profile comprises: determining that the user iswatching long-length media content; and in response to determining thatthe user is watching long-length media content: monitoring user requestsfor content during or immediately after the time when the long-lengthmedia content is played; and storing metadata associated with the userrequests.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein generating a long-mediaviewing profile comprises: determining that the user is watchinglong-length media content; and in response to determining that the useris watching long-length media content: providing an advertisement to theuser device during or immediately after the time when the long-lengthmedia content is played; monitoring the user's response to theadvertisement; in response to determining that the user's response wasfavorable, storing metadata associated with the advertisement.
 8. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising: analyzing at least one of time ofday, user's location, search input received from the user, to determinewhether the user is in the mood to watch long-length media content orshort-length media content; in response to determining that the user isin the mood to watch long-length media content, activating thelong-media viewing profile; and in response to determining that the useris in the mood to watch short-length media content, activating theshort-media viewing profile.
 9. The method of claim 2, wherein providingthe recommendation item to the user device comprises: in response todetermining that the short-media viewing profile is active: selecting ashort-length recommendation item that is associated with a secondshort-length media content; providing the short-length recommendationitem to the user device.
 10. The method of claim 2, wherein providingthe recommendation item to the user device comprises: in response todetermining that the long-media viewing profile is active: selecting along-length recommendation item that is associated with a secondlong-length media content; providing the long-length recommendation itemto the user device.
 11. The method of claim 2, wherein therecommendation item is an advertisement that has metadata that matchesat least one recommendation metadata of the activated viewing profile.12. A system for providing recommendations to a user, the systemcomprising: control circuitry configured to: track behavior of the userwhile the user is engaged in watching short-length media content;generate a short-media viewing profile based on the user's behaviortracked when the user was engaged in watching short-length mediacontent, the short-media viewing profile comprising a plurality ofrecommendation metadata; track behavior of the user while the user isengaged in watching long-length media content; generate a long-mediaviewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user wasengaged in watching long-length media content, the long-media viewingprofile comprising a plurality of recommendation metadata; provide mediacontent to a user device; compare the length of the media content to alength threshold; and in response to the determining that the length ofthe media content corresponds to the length threshold: activate thelong-media viewing profile; select a recommendation item, wherein themetadata of the recommendation item matches at least one recommendationmetadata of the long-media viewing profile; and provide therecommendation item to the user device; in response to the determiningthat the length of the media content does not correspond to the lengththreshold: activate the short-media viewing profile; select arecommendation item, wherein the metadata of the recommendation itemmatches at least one recommendation metadata of the short-media viewingprofile; and provide the recommendation item to the user device.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein: the long-length media content comprises atleast one full-feature movie or full-length TV episode; and theshort-length media content comprises at least one of: user-created shortvideo, a video clip, a music video, and a news video.
 14. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate ashort-media viewing profile by: determining that the user is watchingshort-length media content; and in response to determining that the useris watching short-length media content: monitoring user requests forcontent during or immediately after the time when the short-length mediacontent is played; and storing metadata associated with the userrequests.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry isconfigured to generate a short-media viewing profile by: determiningthat the user is watching short-length media content; and in response todetermining that the user is watching short-length media content:providing an advertisement to the user device during or immediatelyafter the time when the short-length media content is played; monitoringthe user's response to the advertisement; in response to determiningthat the user's response was favorable, storing metadata associated withthe advertisement.
 16. The system of claim 12, wherein the controlcircuitry is configured to generate a long-media viewing profile by:determining that the user is watching long-length media content; and inresponse to determining that the user is watching long-length mediacontent: monitoring user requests for content during or immediatelyafter the time when the long-length media content is played; and storingmetadata associated with the user requests.
 17. The system of claim 12,wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate a long-mediaviewing profile by: determining that the user is watching long-lengthmedia content; and in response to determining that the user is watchinglong-length media content: providing an advertisement to the user deviceduring or immediately after the time when the long-length media contentis played; monitoring the user's response to the advertisement; inresponse to determining that the user's response was favorable, storingmetadata associated with the advertisement.
 18. The system of claim 12,the control circuitry is further configured to: analyze at least one oftime of day, user's location, search input received from the user, todetermine whether the user is in the mood to watch long-length mediacontent or short-length media content; in response to determining thatthe user is in the mood to watch long-length media content, activate thelong-media viewing profile; and in response to determining that the useris in the mood to watch short-length media content, activate theshort-media viewing profile.
 19. The system of claim 12, wherein thecontrol circuitry is configured to provide the recommendation item tothe user device by: in response to determining that the short-mediaviewing profile is active: selecting a short-length recommendation itemthat is associated with a second short-length media content; providingthe short-length recommendation item to the user device.
 20. The systemof claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is configured to provide therecommendation item to the user device by: in response to determiningthat the long-media viewing profile is active: selecting a long-lengthrecommendation item that is associated with a second long-length mediacontent; providing the long-length recommendation item to the userdevice.
 21. The system of claim 12, wherein the recommendation item isan advertisement that has metadata that matches at least onerecommendation metadata of the activated viewing profile. 22-51.(canceled)